Résumé:
Most treatments with conventional drugs to treat gastric ulcer produce adverse reactions. The gastro-protective effects of camel milk and carob aqueous extract were investigated in Wistar rats in which a gastric ulcer was induced experimentally with a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory, indomethacin. The study was conducted on 25 adult male rats divided into 5 groups of 5 rats each. The negative control group received distilled water, the positive control group received indomethacin alone, the standard group received ranitidine (reference drug) and the last two groups are represented by the groups pretreated with camel milk and the aqueous extract of carob respectively. The oral treatment (gavage) lasted 15 days followed the 16th day by the administration of the ulcerogenic agent, indomethacin, administered to all rats except those in the negative control group. The ulcerogenic effect of indomethacin is significant evidenced by a large number of ulcerated lesions, an ulcer index remarkably high and a significant decrease in gastric adherent mucus. Pretreatment with camel milk and the aqueous carob extract led to a protective effect of gastric mucosa by significantly reducing the number of ulcerative lesions, the ulcer index and the percentage of protection with improved gastric mucus. These effects are comparable to those of the standard. On the other hand, inflammation caused by indomethacin resulted in an increase in white blood cells, granulocytes and serum transaminase levels. Red blood cells are reduced and total plasma proteins are unchanged. These physiological disturbances likely associated with oxidative stress were equitably corrected by camel milk and carob. This work clearly demonstrates that camel milk and carob have gastro-protective and anti-inflammatory effects through their strong antioxidant activity.
