The effect of Matricaria Chamomilla on the treatment of ibuprofen-induced gastric ulcers in male rats

Introduction: Formation of gastric ulcer is a multifactorial process so that vascular changes, mucous secretion, gastric acid and gastrointestinal tract mucous biochemistry are involved in gastric ulcers. Despite therapeutic properties, ibuprofen as a non-steroidal antiinflammatory drug (NSAID) can cause mucosal lesions in the stomach. In this study, the effect of Matricaria Chamomilla on the treatment of ibuprofen-induced gastric ulcers in animal models was examined. Methods: In this experimental study, 18 male Wistar rats were divided into three groups of six rats. The gastric ulcer group received normal saline after inducing ulcers. Two experimental groups received Matricaria Chamomilla powder dissolved in normal saline after inducing ulcers. The animals were starved for 48 hours and then a single dose of ibuprofen (400mg/kg) was administrated orally. The animals were followed for two weeks to induce gastric ulcers. After inducing ulcers, the animals were treated orally with two doses of Matricaria Chamomilla (250 and 500mg/kg) for 10 days. At the end of the study, the animals were evaluated in terms of the number and extent of gastric ulcer. The data were analyzed with the help of SPSS using ANOVA and the nonparametric Kruskal- Wallis H test. P≤0.05 was considered as the significance level. Results: The results showed that the mean number and surface area of gastric ulcers in the group receiving 500mg/kg of Matricaria Chamomilla were significantly decreased in comparison with the gastric ulcer group (P 0.01). However, no significant difference was found between the group receiving 250mg/kg of Matricaria Chamomilla and the gastric ulcer group. Conclusion: Matricaria Chamomilla caused a dose-dependent gastric ulcer healing effect in animals.