Abstract

Objective: To determine the anti-ulcer activity of methanol extract of Tetracarpidium conophorum (Mull. Arg.) (METC) nuts in albino Wistar rats. Methods: METC was investigated in pylorus ligation and ethanol induced models in experimental animals. Parameters such as gastric volume, pH, total and free acidity, and ulcer index were used as indicator for antiulcerogenic activity in both models. METC at doses of 250 and 500 mg/kg orally was used to determine whether the extract could produce significant protection of the gastric lesions by pylorus ligation and ethanol. Results: The extract at dose levels of 250 and 500 mg/kg exhibited significant (P<0.05) decrease in the gastric volume, total and free acidity while the pH of gastric juice was significantly (P<0.05) increased in both models. Conclusions: The result showed that METC possesses anti-ulcer as well as cytoprotective properties which could be attributed to the presence of secondary metabolites.

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