The gastroprotective effect of oxycellulose pellets on gastric ulcers

Oxycellulose belongs to the wide range of pharmaceutically and medically used cellulose derivatives unique in its properties of biodegradability, non-toxicity, antioxidative activity, haemostasis supporting, tissue healing improvement, etc. Glycyrrhizin (Gly) represents the most prominent licorice triterpenoid glycoside, which is responsible for its pharmacological activity, and is closely linked to increasing levels of gastroprotective prostaglandins. In order to study the anti-ulcer activity of oxycellulose sodium and Gly, pellets containing only oxycellulose, or in combination with glycyrrhizin, were prepared using an extrusion/spheronization method. The physical properties and in vitro release rate of the prepared pellets were tested. Based on the obtained results, one sample prepared from oxycellulose only, and one containing glycyrrhizin were chosen for in vivo testing. The healing effect of the prepared pellet formulations was evaluated in the acetic acid induced gastric ulcers in rats. The improvement in gastric ulcer healing was documented for myeloperoxidase activity, alkaline phosphatase activity and gastric wall mucin levels using the Alcian blue binding capacity. The tested pellets significantly reduced myeloperoxidase and alkaline phosphatase activity, and increased gastric wall mucus levels compared to the non-treated group. The in vivo tests showed that oral administration of the prepared pellets accelerated the healing of gastric ulcers in rats.