Ethnopharmacological relevance: Solanum torvum (Solanaceae) is a plant currently used in Cameroon ethnomedicine for the treatment of stomach ailments.
Aim of the study: The present study was undertaken to determine the anti-ulcer potential of the aqueous and methanol extracts from the leaves of Solanum torvum.
Materials and methods: The aqueous and methanol extracts from the leaves of Solanum torvum were tested orally at the doses of 250, 500 and 750 mg/kg, on gastric ulcerations experimentally induced by HCl/ethanol, indomethacin, pylorus ligation and stress. The fractionation of the methanol extract through silica gel column chromatography produced seven different fractions (A-G) which were tested orally at the dose of 100mg/kg against HCl/ethanol-induced ulceration.
Results: The methanol extract at the dose of 750 mg/kg produced 98.12, 99.16, 98.70 and 96.03% inhibition when gastric ulcerations were induced by HCl/ethanol, indomethacin, pylorus ligation and stress, respectively. The aqueous extract at the same dose produced 96.55, 96.86, 98.63 and 98.63% inhibition on ulcerations induced respectively by HCl/ethanol, indomethacin, pylorus ligation and stress. All the fractions of the methanol extract significantly inhibited ulcer formation. Fraction F which contains flavonoids and triterpens was the most active and exhibited an inhibitory percentage of 84.74. Both extracts significantly increased mucus production and reduced gastric acid secretion.
Conclusions: The aqueous and methanol extracts of the leaves of Solanum turvum possess anti-ulcerogenic properties that may be due to cytoprotective mechanism. These results support the ethnomedical uses of the plant in the treatment of gastric ulcer.