Gastroprotective Effects of Aqueous Leaf Extract of Launaea taraxacifolia Against Indomethacin-Induced Gastric Ulcer in Wistar Rats

Abstract

Gastric ulcer is a common NSAID complication, and affordable plant-based gastroprotective agents remain a priority in low-resource settings. This study evaluated the aqueous leaf extract of Launaea taraxacifolia, a West African ethnomedicinal leafy vegetable, against indomethacin-induced gastric mucosal injury in female Wistar rats using prophylactic and curative dosing. Thirty-five rats were allotted into seven groups of five: negative and ulcer controls, an extract-protective group (7-day pre-treatment), a standard-drug (omeprazole) control, and three curative groups (low, medium, or high dose; 21 days). The extract gave a 9.3% yield, rich in flavonoids (11.04%) and cardiac glycosides (9.21%); acute toxicity testing showed no mortality or signs of toxicity up to 5000 mg/kg (LD50 > 5000 mg/kg). Indomethacin raised serum tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) from 22.65 to 104.72 pg/mL and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) from 30.93 to 105.72 pg/mL, lowered catalase from 39.62 to 7.40 U/L and SOD from 122.50 to 49.98 U/L, and raised MDA from 2.52 to 10.25 nmol/mL (one-way ANOVA, p<0.0001 for all five). Extract pre-treatment and omeprazole restored TNF-α, IL-1β, catalase, and MDA to negative-control levels (Tukey-adjusted p>0.05) and raised SOD above the ulcer control, though only omeprazole did not differ from the negative control for SOD; pre-treatment gave lower IL-1β than omeprazole (p=0.037). Histologically, only the untreated ulcer control showed an overt erosive lesion; the standard-drug and curatively-dosed groups showed a dose-dependent recovery gradient. These findings indicate a dose-dependent gastroprotective effect of Launaea taraxacifolia against indomethacin-induced gastric injury, with a biochemical profile broadly similar to omeprazole on the parameters tested.