bstract
Ethnopharmacological relevance
Treatment of gastric ulcers with medicinal plants is quite common in traditional medicine worldwide. Cymbopogon citratus (DC) Stapf. leaves infusion has been used in folk medicine of many tropical and subtropical regions to treat gastric disturbances. The aim of this study was to assess the potential gastroprotective activity of an essential oil-free infusion from C. citratus leaves in acute gastric lesions induced by ethanol in rat.
Materials and methods
The study was performed on adult male Wistar rats (234.0±22.7 g) fasted for 24 h but with free access to water. The extract was given orally before (prevention) or after (treatment) intragastric administration of absolute ethanol. Effects of dose (28 or 56 mg/kg of body weight) and time of contact of the extract with gastric mucosa (1 or 2 h) were also assessed. Animals were sacrificed, being the stomachs removed and the lesions were assessed by macroscopic observation and histopathology.
Results
C. citratus extract, given orally before or after ethanol, significantly (P