The aerial part of Equisetum telmateia Ehrh. is used against various conditions including stomachache and peptic ulcer in Turkish folk medicine. In order to prove the claimed anti-ulcerogenic potential of the plant, aqueous and methanol extracts were prepared from aerial parts of E. telmateia and investigated for their anti-ulcerogenic effect on ethanol-induced gastric ulcer model in rats. | Turk J Biol 32 (2008) 259-263 © TÜBİTAK In vivo Anti-Ulcerogenic Activity of Equisetum telmateia Ehrh. Extracts Used in Turkish Folk Medicine İlhan GÜRBÜZ1, Erdem YEŞİLADA2 1 2 Gazi University, Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmacognosy, Hipodrom, 06330 Ankara - TURKEY Yeditepe University, Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmacognosy, 34755 Kayışdağı, İstanbul - TURKEY Received: Abstract: The aerial part of Equisetum telmateia Ehrh. is used against various conditions including stomachache and peptic ulcer in Turkish folk medicine. In order to prove the claimed anti-ulcerogenic potential of the plant, aqueous and methanol extracts were prepared from aerial parts of E. telmateia and investigated for their anti-ulcerogenic effect on ethanol-induced gastric ulcer model in rats. Pharmacological experiments clearly demonstrated that the oral administration of both methanol and aqueous extracts of Equisetum telmateia Ehrh. plant showed significant stomach protection ( and 100% ulcer inhibition, respectively) against the applied model of ulcerogenesis (P < ). Since both extracts were found significantly active, 80% ethanol was preferred for the extraction of the plant material and this crude methanolic extract was further fractionated by successive solvent extractions with chloroform and H2O saturated n-BuOH to obtain the chloroform and n-BuOH extracts as well as the remaining aqueous extract. The 80% ethanol extract and the solvent extracts were then submitted to pharmacological assay using the same in vivo experimental ulcer model. All the extracts statistically showed potent anti-ulcerogenic effect on this model (P < ). However, the remaining aqueous extract was found prominent ( ulcer inhibition). Consequently, folkloric utilization of E. telmateia on peptic ulcer has been confirmed in the present study by using ethanol-induced experimental ulcer model in rats. Key Words: Equisetum telmateia, Equisetaceae, Horsetail, .
