Abstract

This study was performed to determine the effects of Aloe vera on indomethacin induced ulcers in rats. Albino rats (Wister strain) of either sex weighing between 150 and 200 g were randomly allotted into four groups with six animals each. Indomethacin was administered orally in the dose of 20 mg/kg body weight and kept fasting for 6 h. A. vera powder was mixed with gum acacia, the solution was administered orally through the oral gavage to rats in the dose of 200 mg/kg. Omeprazole (20 mg/kg) was administered intraperitoneally as a standard drug for present study. At the end of the study, rats were sacrificed and stomachs were opened and stored in 5% formalin solution, ulcer index and histological changes were studied. Student t-test analysis was used for the present study. It was found that A. vera showed statistically significant anti-ulcer activity comparable to standard drug omeprazole. The mean ulcer indexes of two drugs were statistically significant (P value is < 0.001). Therefore, the results were suggestive of anti ulcerogenic activity of A. vera.

Key words: Aloe vera, gastric ulcer, indomethacin, omeprazole.