Preventive and curative effect of Lagenaria vulgaris in NSAID induced ulcer model

Lagenaria vulgaris is a popular vegetable grown almost all the year round. The fresh fruit juice has been used to treat acidity and ulcers in folklore medicines. In recent years, there has been phenomenal rise in the interest of scientific community to explore the pharmacological actions or to confirm the veracity of claims made about herbs in the official books of Ayurveda. The main objective of present work is to investigate the antiulcer activity of the fresh juice of Lagenaria vulgaris. Chemical analysis confirmed the presence of Vitamin A & C and Tannins. Male albino rats were used for the study and were divided into six different groups. Gastric ulcers were induced by NSAID (Diclofenac sodium). β – carotene was used as the standard drug for comparison. L. vulgaris was administered in a dose of 1ml and 2ml/rat. Levels of Glutathione and Ulcer Index were two major parameters. The fresh juice from the fruits of L. vulgaris exhibited both protective as well as healing effect on NSAID induced ulcers. It produced better recovery than β –carotene as far as both ulcer index and GSH levels were concerned.