EFFECTS OF AQUEOUS EXTRACT OF VERNONIA KOTSCHYANA
SCH. BIP. EX WALP ROOTS ON EXPERIMENTAL GASTRIC ULCER
IN MICE
ALEXANDRU VASINCU 1, DANIELA-CARMEN ABABEI 1, RĂZVAN-NICOLAE RUSU 1, GABRIELA DUMITRIŢA STANCIU 2*, SORIN BEŞCHEA CHIRIAC 3, VERONICA BILD 1,2,4
1“Grigore T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy Iasi, Faculty of Pharmacy, Pharmacodynamics and Clinical
Pharmacy Department, Iași, Romania
2“Grigore T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, CEMEX Department, Iași, Romania
3“Ion Ionescu de la Brad” University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine,
Iași, Romania
4Center of Biomedical Research of the Romanian Academy, Iași, Romania
*corresponding author: gdstanciu@yahoo.com
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Abstract:
The present study investigated the antiulcer/gastro-protective effects of aqueous extract obtained from Vernonia kotschyana
roots on two animal models of gastric ulcer induced by indomethacin and, respectively, absolute ethanol. The extract proved
to have weak in vitro antioxidant activity on scavenging free radicals (ABTS radical cation, superoxide and nitric oxide) and
weak ability of ferrous ions chelating. FT-IR analysis showed the presence of carbohydrates (polysaccharides) and saponins
in the aqueous extract. The results of antiulcer activity study showed that Vernonia aqueous extract is efficient on
indomethacin-induced ulcer model (ED50 = 557.12 ± 38.29 mg/kg b.w.) and has gastro-protective activity on absolute
ethanol-induced ulcer model (ED50 = 439.85 ± 5.67 mg/kg b.w.). Further studies are needed to elucidate other mechanisms
through which the aqueous extract exerts antiulcer/gastro-protective effects. Sub-fractionation of the extract may reveal the
presence of novel compounds with antiulcer/gastro-protective activity.

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