Gastric Juice

Effects of ifenprodil tartrate, a potent vasodilator, on the autonomic, peripheral and central nerve system were studied in experimental animals. In isolated vas deferens of guinea pigs, the contraction in response to noradrenaline and sympathetic nerve stimulation was competetively antagonized by ifenprodil 10(-7)--10(-5) M (pA2: 7.69 against noradrenaline). Ifenprodil (50 approximately 1,000 mug/kg i.v.) inhibited the contraction of cat nictitating membrane and dog urinary bladder induced by sympathetic nerve stimulation.

The effects of bromazepam (0.1 mg/kg b.w. i.v.) and of placebo on gastric acid secretion related to hypnotically induced anxiety were evaluated in a double blind study, 22 experiments were carried out on 4 healthy volunteers. Drugs were injected after one basal hour. Hypnosis was induced immediately thereafter, and a sequence of anxiety-charged situations out of the subjects past was recalled. After one hour, posthypnotic amnesia was suggested, the subjects awakened and observation continued for another hour.

Use of a traditional preparation of copper, tamrabhasma, has been suggested in Ayurvedic texts for peptic ulcer. The anti-ulcerogenic effect of copper per se has not been reported in the literature. In the present study the anti-ulcerogenic effect of tamrabhasma was observed in 8-h immobilised, 4-h pylorus-ligated, and aspirin-induced gastric ulcers in rats. The anti-ulcerogenic effect of the drug was also studied in histamine-induced gastric and duodenal ulcers in male guinea pigs. The minimal oral effective anti-ulcerogenic dose of tamrabhasma has been determined to be 1 mg/kg.

Convolvulus pluricaulis is an indigenous plant commonly mentioned in Ayurveda, an ancient system of Indian medicine, as a rasayana which is mainly advocated for use in rejuvenation therapy. The present study was conducted to evaluate the potential anti-ulcerogenic effect of juice of fresh whole plants of C. pluricaulis (CPJ) against various experimental gastric ulcer models induced by ethanol, aspirin, 2 hr cold restraint stress and 4 hr pyloric ligation in rats. The drug was given orally twice daily for five days in the doses of 375 and 750 mg/kg body weight.

Bacopa monniera Wettst. (BM, syn. Herpestis monniera L; Scrophulariaceae), is an Ayurvedic drug used as a rasayana. Its fresh juice was earlier reported to have significant antiulcerogenic activity. In continuation, methanolic extract of BM (BME) standardized to bacoside-A content (percentage-38.0 +/- 0.9), when given in the dose of 10-50 mg/kg, twice daily for 5 days, showed dose-dependent anti-ulcerogenic on various gastric ulcer models induced by ethanol, aspirin, 2 h cold restraint stress and 4 h pylorus ligation.

Asparagus racemosus is an Ayurvedic rasayana, which finds mention in ancient Indian texts for treatment of gastric ulcers. The ulcer protective effect of methanolic extract of fresh roots of A. racemosus (ARM), 25-100 mg/kg given orally, twice daily for 5 days, was studied on different gastroduodenal ulcer models. ARM 50 mg/kg, twice daily, orally (total saponins 0.9%) showed significant protection against acute gastric ulcers induced by cold restraint stress (CRS), pyloric ligation, aspirin plus pyloric ligation, and duodenal ulcers induced by cysteamine.