Lupeol Stearate Accelerates Healing and Prevents Recurrence of Gastric Ulcer in Rodents

The gastric healing and gastric ulcer recurrence preventive effect of Lupeol Stearate (LS) was measured in this study. To evaluate the gastric healing effect, rats were submitted to the 80% acetic acid-induced ulcer model and treated with vehicle (1 ml/kg, p.o.), LS (1 mg/kg, p.o.) or omeprazole (20 mg/kg, p.o.) twice a day for seven days. The gastric injury was evaluated macroscopically, histologically and histochemical; and biochemical parameters were also quantified. To evaluate the effects of LS on gastric ulcer recurrence, mice were ulcerated by gastric instillation of 10% acetic acid and treated with vehicle (1 ml/kg, p.o.), LS (1 mg/kg, p.o.) or ranitidine (20 mg/kg, p.o.) twice a day for ten days. Then, the ulcer recurrence in these animals was induced by IL- 1β (1 µg/kg i.p) at five day after the end of the treatment period. The area of the lesion recurred were measured, as well as the activity of myeloperoxidase and TNF levels. Oral treatment with LS accelerated gastric healing by 63% compared to the group treated with vehicle, which was also evidenced by histological improvement and increased production of mucin in the gastric epithelium. LS elevated the activity of the glutathione S-transferase and reduced the activity of myeloperoxidase, but did not change the levels of reduced glutathione or the activity of superoxide dismutase and catalase at the ulcer site in rats. Regarding the recurrence, the LS treatment reduced the recurred lesions, reducing MPO activity but not TNF levels at ulcer site. It can be concluded that LS promotes the healing of gastric lesions by favoring the mucus production and reducing the migration of neutrophils and that it can reduce the severity of the ulcer recurrence.