Published in Scientific Bulletin. Series F. Biotechnologies, Vol. XX
Written by Lucia PIRVU, Ioana NICU, Stelian SCHIOPU, Dragomir COPREAN
Romanian folk medicine recommends Fagus sylvatica L. bark and leaves derived products (infusions, decoctions and raw powders) for various skins, respiratory and digestive ailments. The presented work was based on this data, and it aimed to evaluate gastroprotective potential of one standardized product prepared from beech leaves collected in July, by testing it on stress-induced ulcer model on rats. Beech leaves derived product (FA) has been designed as a combination of two polar extracts: aqueous extract as source of polysaccharides compounds and ethanolic (defatted) extract as source of polyphenols compounds resulting in a final standardized product (powder) with exactly 2% (w/w) total flavones content expressed as rutin equivalents. The obtained results, the total length (mm) of superficial, medium and deep gastric lesions of exposed groups versus control group indicated that while the pre-treatment with chemical reference product Ranitidine, an inhibitor of histamine receptor (RH2), assured gastric protection percentages of 59%, 54% and 89%, the pre-treatment with beech leaves derived product (FA) demonstrated gastric protection percentages of 38%, 62% and 96% (n=6; p˂0.05) on superficial, medium and deep lesions. Therefore, our results confirm gastroprotective potential of beech leaves derived products (precisely aqueous and ethanolic defatted extracts) suggesting potential use for the development of new phytomedicines targeted at the digestive system.
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