Anti-Ulcer (Ulcer-Preventive) Activity of Ficus arnottiana Miq. (Moraceae) Leaf Methanolic Extract

Problem statement: In spite of being one of the well-known medicinal plants used in Indian traditional medicine to treat several ailments, studies pertaining to the pharmacological properties of Ficus arnottiana are very scarce. We studied the anti-ulcer activity and acute toxicity of Ficus arnottiana leaf methanolic extract for the first time. Approach: Freshly collected F. arnottiana leaves were dried, powdered and extracted in methanol. To study the anti-ulcer activity, Wistar rats were orally administered with different doses of the extract (0, 250 and 500 mg kg^-1 body weight day^-1) or with the reference drug omeprazole (8 mg kg^-1) for 10 days. After induction of ulcer using 5 mL kg^-1 ethanol, stomachs of these animals were analyzed for gastric volume, ulcer area and gross pathological changes. Results: Our results showed that F. arnottiana methanolic extract could prevent ulcer in rats in a dose-dependent manner. Histological studies revealed that the extract had muco-protective activity. The extract did not show any acute toxicity even at the dose of 5000 mg kg^-1 indicating that the extract has no lethal effect. Preliminary phytochemical screening of this extract identified the presence of important secondary metabolites like flavonoids and tannins. Conclusion/Recommendations: From this study, it is clear that F. arnottiana leaf extract had significant anti-ulcer activity in animal models. It had muco-protective activity and gastric anti-secretary activity. The extract is non-toxic even at relatively high concentrations.