Exploring the potential protective and anti-inflammatory effects of the crude ethanolic extract of Annona squamosa Linn fruit against Ethanol-mediated gastric erosion.

Background: Annona squamosa L. is a medically important fruit that belongs to the family Annonaceae and has many medical benefits, including antiulcer effects.

Aim: The present study explored the potential protection and anti-inflammatory effects of the crude ethanolic extract of Annona squamosa L. (EEA) against ethanol-mediated peptic sever erosion using a rodent model in comparison with a synthetic compound broadly used in clinics to tackle peptic disturbances, known as Omeprazole.

Methods: To do that, twenty-four both sex Wistar rats were assigned into four groups (six rats per group), namely control negative (C-) and control positive (C+) both received normal saline, Omeprazole (OM) administered OM at a dose of 20 mg/kg of body, and crude EEA received the extract at a dose of 200 mg/kg for two weeks. All groups except the C- group received absolute ethanol at a dose of 5 ml/kg of body weight for 1 hour. After euthanization, the gross ulcer index and protection ratio results exhibited a good percentage of protection in the EEA group compared with the C+ and OM groups.

Results: These results were correlated with histopathological examination, which indicated that the gastric lesion of the EEA showed erosion in the pits area and isthmus, including destruction of parietal cells, whereas the gastric lesion of the C+ group showed severe necrosis of epithelial cells of the gastric mucosa, resulting in the absence of all mucosal layers of the affected area. In addition, the results revealed the anti-inflammatory properties of EEA through its ability to control the regulation of TNF-α and IL-1α. Both proteins were downregulated in response to the presence of EEA. Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the first study to detect high IL-1α in ethanol-induced severe gastric erosion. These results suggested that EEA exhibited protective and anti-inflammatory effects against ethanol-mediated gastric erosion.