Comparative anti-ulcerogenic activities of the leaf, seed and stem bark hydromethanolic extracts of Picralima nitida in rats

Background: Picralima nitida (Stapf) commonly called akuamma belongs to the family apocynaceae found mostly in forest areas of Africa. It is a shrub or a deciduous tree that can grow up to 35 meters in height. It has a cylindrical trunk measuring about 60 cm in diameter with white latex in its parts. The bark of the trunk is fragile and is greyish brown or black in colour.Methods: The acute oral toxicity test was done using up and down method. The anti-ulcerogenic activities of the leaf, seed and stem bark extracts were evaluated using ethanol-induced ulceration model in rats.Results: There were no signs of morbidity and mortality in rats following oral acute toxicity test. The extracts produced a significant (p<0.05) dose dependent reduction in the number of ulcers and ulcer scores reducing them from 14.00±2.82 and to 56.00±4.55 to as low as 2.00±1.21 and 8.45±1.24 respectively. The ulcer preventive index was also increased by P. nitida extracts in a dose dependent manner with the (Picralima nitida leaf extract) PNLE at the dose of 400 mg/kg causing up to 76.13% inhibition of ulcers in the rats.Conclusions: Picralima nitida extracts demonstrated significant anti-ulcerogenic activities in ethanol-induced gastric ulcerations in rats