Investigations on the anti-ulcerogenic activity of Sideritis caesarea H. Duman, Aytac & Baser

Ethnopharmacological relevance: Aerial parts of Sideritis caesarea H. Duman, Aytac & Baser are used for complaints such as stomach-aches, and intestinal spasms as traditional medicine in Kayseri, Turkey. Aim of study: To investigate the anti-ulcerogenic activity by using bioassay guided fractionation technique (BAGF) and to identify the compound(s) that are responsible for anti-ulcerogenic activity through ethanol-induced anti-ulcerogenic activity model in vivo. Materials and methods: Liquid-liquid partition and then different chromatographic techniques were utilized for the BAGF of the ethanol (80%) extract of the aerial parts of Sideritis caesarea. Ethanol-induced gastric ulcer method on rats was employed for the determination of the anti-ulcerogenic activity, and the ulcer index was also calculated for anti-ulcerogenic activity detection. Results: The ethanol (80%) extract of S. caesarea showed statistically potent anti-ulcerogenic activity (95.9% ulcer inhibition, p < 0.001). Among the liquid-liquid fractions, strongest anti-ulcerogenic activity was observed with the ethyl acetate fraction (91.4% inhibition, p< 0.001) and therefore BAGF studies were proceeded with the ethyl acetate fraction. Two anti-ulcerogenic flavonoids {4'-O-methylhypolaetin-7-O-[6'''-O-acetyl-beta-D-allopyranosyl-(1 -> 2)]- 6 ''-O-acetyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside and isoscutellarein-7-O-[6'''-O-acetyl-beta-D-allopyranosyl-(1 -> 2)]-6 ''-O-acetyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside} were isolated from this fraction together with a sesquiterpene glycoside [(2E,6E)-2,6,10-trimethyl-2,6,11-dodecatriene-1,10-diol-1-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside] and two additional flavonoids {4'-O-methylhypolaetin-7-O-[6'''-O-acetyl-beta-D-allopyranosyl-(1 -> 2)]-beta-D-glucopyranoside and isoscutellarein- 7-O-[6'''-O-acetyl-beta-D-allopyranosyl-(1 -> 2)]-beta-D-glucopyranoside}. Conclusions: Traditional use of S. caesarea in the treatment of stomach-aches was supported by this study and four flavonoids were isolated by using BAGF method and two of them were determined to have significant antiulcerogenic activity. Additionally, (2E,6E)-2,6,10-trimethyl-2,6,11-dodecatriene-1,10-diol-1-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside was obtained from a Sideritis genus for the first time.