GASTRIC ANTIULCER ACTIVITY OF A PUNGENT
SPICE FERULA ASSAFOETIDA L. IN RATS
SALEH ALQASOUMI1, MOHAMMED AL-DOSARI1, TAWFEQ ALHOWIRINY1,
MOHAMMED AL-YAHYA1, IBRAHIM AL-MOFLEH2,
SYED RAFATULLAH1*
1Department of Pharmacognosy and Medicinal, Aromatic & Poisonous
Plants Research Center (MAPPRC), College of Pharmacy, P.O. Box
2457, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
2Gastroenterology Unit (59), College of Medicine and KKUH, King Saud
University, P.O. Box 2925, Riyadh-11461, Saudi Arabia
∗ corresponding author: srafat@ksu.edu.sa
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Abstract:

Ferula assafoetida ‘Assafoetida’ is known to possess various therapeutic
properties. We evaluated the anti-ulcerogenic property of an aqueous suspension of assafoetida in different ulcer models on Wistar albino rats. The suspension at doses of 250 and 500 mg/kg body weight, orally (i.p. in Shay rat model) had significant effects in the gastric ulceration induced by basal gastric acid secretion, indomethacin and noxious chemicals (80% ethanol, 0.2 M NaOH and 25% NaCl). They showed significant protection
in all models used. These findings were supported by histopathological assessment of gastric tissue and by the determination of gastric wall mucus (GWM) contents of the stomach, as these parameters showed protection of various indices and replenishing the depleted (GWM) level by the suspension treatment, respectively. Conclusively, the ulcer
protective effect of assafoetida may possibly be due to its anti-secretory action along with antioxidative and cytoprotective through a prostaglandin mediated mechanism.

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