Protective effect of essential oil of Pistacia atlantica Desf. on peptic ulcer: role of α-pinene

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of Pistacia atlantica Desf. oleoresin essential oil on peptic ulcer(PU) and its antibacterial effect on metronidazole-resistant Helicobacter pylori, as well as chemi-cal composition of the essential oil.METHODS: The essential oil was standardized using gas chromatography mass spectrometry(GC/MS) analysis. Acute toxicity of the essential oil was assessed in animal model. In vitro anti-Helicobacter pylori activity was performed through disc diffusion and minimum inhibitory concentration method. For gastroprotective assay, rats received Pistacia atlantica Desf. essential oil(25, 50 and 100 mg/kg orally) 1 h before induction of ulcer by ethanol.Macroscopic(ulcer index and protection rate) and microscopic examination were performed.RESULTS: The GC/MS analysis of the essential oil led to the identification of twenty constituents andα-pinene is predominant constituent. The essential oil was safe up to 2000 mg/kg. All Helicobacter pylori strains were susceptible to the essential oil and the MIC ranged from 275 to 1100 μg/m L. The ulcer index for treated groups was significantly reduced compared to control(P < 0.001) with EC50 value of 12.32 mg/kg. In microscopic examination, Pistacia atlantica attenuated destruction and necrosis of gastric tissue.CONCLUSION: Current study exhibited protective effect of standardized Pistacia atlantica essential oil against ethanol-induced gastric ulcer and its antibacterial activity on Helicobacter pylori. α-pinene might be the responsible agent.

Gastroprotective herbs for headache management in Persian medicine:A comprehensive review

The gut-brain axis is a bidirectional communication system that exists between the brain and gut. Several studies claimed that some types of headaches are associated with various gastrointestinal(GI) disorders.In Persian medicine(PM), physicians believed that gastric disturbances could stimulate headache and introduced some herbs for boosting gastric function as a therapeutic remedy for headache. Here we review the current evidence for the gastroprotective and antiheadache effects of herbs used in PM.Herbs used for their gastrotonic effects in PM were identified from selected Persian medical and pharmaceutical textbooks. Pub Med, Scopus and Google Scholar were used to search for contemporary scientific evidence relating to the gastric and neurologic effects of these plants. A total of 24 plants were recorded from the selected sources included in this review, most of which belonged to the Rosaceae family.Phyllanthus emblica, Zingiber officinale, Boswellias errata, Punica granatum and Hypericum perforatum had the most recent studies related to GI disorder and headache, while current research about quince, rose,apple, hawthorn and pear was limited. Reducing Helicobacter pylori growth, gastritis, erosion of the stomach lining, hemorrhage and perforation, improving gastric mucosal resistance, antisecretary, antiulcer,antipyretic, analgesic, sedative, anxiolytic, anti-inflammatory, anticonvulsant, neuroprotective and antioxidant effects as well as improvement in memory scores were some of the gastrotonic and neuroprotective mechanisms described in the current research. These results confirmed that medicinal plants prescribed in PM may improve headache in patients through the management of GI abnormalities.However, further studies are recommended to investigate the efficacy and safety of the mentioned medicinal plants.