Hypericum perforatum extracts healed gastric lesions induced by hypothermic restraint stress in Wistar rats

Objectives: To investigate the healing effects of Hypericum perforatum (HP) on gastric mucosal damage induced by hypothermic restraint stress (HRS). Methods: Sixty Wistar breed rats of 200-250 gm were used in this study carried out at the Biology Department of Dumlupinar University, Kutahya, Turkey in 2006. The animals were divided into 6 groups, 2 of which were controls. The HRS were induced by strapping the rats on a wooden plank and keeping them for 3 hours at 4ºC after a starvation period of 36 hours. After HRS, 25, 50, and 100 mg/ kg/day Hypericum perforatum extracts (HPEs) were orally administrated to the 3 groups during the 3-day treatment. Fifty mg/kg ranitidine was administered everyday as subcutaneous injection to a group selected as a positive control. At the end of treatment, lesions in the stomach were evaluated macroscopically and microscopically. Results: Macroscopic analyses showed that treatment with HPEs 25, 50, and 100 mg/kg/day significantly healed lesions compared to control groups by 65, 95, and 75% (p=0.001). Treatment with ranitidine also healed ulcers significantly compared with the control groups. Histopathologic analyses indicated that 50 mg/kg/day HP produced the most significant effect. Conclusion: Moderate doses of HP produced significant healing of HRS induced gastric ulcer in rats. The present study indicated that HPEs have therapeutic potential for the control of ulcers.