Morufu Eyitayo Balogun^1,, Daniel Chukwu Nwachukwu², Shakiru Ademola Salami³, Elizabeth Enohnyaket Besong¹, Dorathy Chinwe Obu^{1, 4}, Serges Fankou Athanase Djobissie¹

Aims: Nauclea latifolia Sm. (Rubiaceae) is known for its therapeutic uses, especially in alternative medicine. Its leaves, roots and bark have been used traditionally in Nigeria to treat various diseases including ulcer-related diseases. Methods: The aqueous stem bark extract of Nauclea latifolia was investigated for anti-ulcerogenic effects using ethanol/HCI and indomethacin as the ulcerogens. The effect of the extract on gastric mucous secretion was also investigated. The extract was administered orally at the doses of 100 and 200 mg/kg b. wt. for the experimental groups while the control and reference groups received distilled water (2 ml/kg, p.o) and omeprazole (20 mg/kg, p.o) respectively. Results: Phytochemical studies revealed the presence of saponins, tannins, alkaloids, terpenes and glycosides. The results show that the extract significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the ulcer index from 4.55 ± 1.45 to 1.20 ± 0.19 and from 4.20 ± 0.72 to 0.94 ± 2.51 in the ethanol/HCI and indomethacin induced ulceration respectively. The extract also significantly (p < 0.05) increased the gastric mucous secretion in a dose-dependent manner. Conclusions: The results suggest that the N. latifolia stem bark extract possesses significant anti-ulcer effects which might be due to its ability to increase gastric mucous secretion.

Nauclea latifolia, anti-ulcerogenic, indomethacin, phytochemical screening, gastric mucous, rats