Vitex pubescens is a Malaysian therapeutic plant employed in traditional drug to remedy a variety of disorders. The purpose of this research is to assess the gastroprotective efficiency of V. pubescens leaves against
ethanol-induced gastric hemorrhagic
laceration in rats. Animals were randomly allocated into seven groups and pre-treated, separately, with 10%
Tween 20 (normal and
ulcer control groups), 20 mg/kg
omeprazole (reference group), and 62.5, 125, 250, and 500 mg/kg of V. pubescens extract (experimental groups). All animals were sacrificed after another hour. Histological evaluation of the
ulcer control group revealed significant injury to the gastric mucosa with
edema and leucocyte infiltration of the submucosal layer. PAS staining, showed remarkably intense magenta color, remarkable increase of HSP70 and decrease of Bax
proteins in rats pre-treated with
plant extracts compared to the
ulcer control group. Gastric homogenates revealed a remarkable increase in
endogenous antioxidant enzyme activities (CAT, SOD, GSH) and a decrease in the lipid peroxidation level (MDA) in animals pre-treated with V. pubescens extract compared with the
ulcer control group. The gastroprotective activity of this plant might be related to increased
antioxidant enzymes and decrease lipid peroxidation upsurge of HSP70 and reduced expression of Bax
proteins.