Assessing the gastroprotective effects of pioglitazone by determining its effect on TNF-α and SOD levels on indomethacin-induced gastric ulcer in a rat model

Year 2025, Volume: 29 Issue: 6, 2464 - 2475, 02.11.2025

Hela Muayed Abd-Alqhani Huda I. Alqadhi

https://doi.org/10.12991/jrespharm.1798118

Abstract

Gastric ulcer is the predominant gastrointestinal condition, accounting for approximately 20% of peptic ulcers. The current study aimed to investigate the prophylactic effects of pioglitazone on histology, severity of gastric ulcers and levels of inflammatory and antioxidant markers that include tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) on fifty healthy male albino rats weighing 150-250g divided into five groups including negative control group received only vehicle, positive control group received indomethacin orally (60 mg/kg), third group received oral omeprazole solution (20 mg/kg) 30 minutes before indomethacin solution induction, fourth group received oral 30mg/kg pioglitazone solution 1-hour before indomethacin-induction, while the fifth group received oral pioglitazone and after 1-hour rats were administered oral omeprazole solution and waited for 30 minutes before indomethacin solution induction. The levels of TNF-α, SOD in addition to histological examination that include lesions number and damage score for all studied groups. Results demonstrated that rats received combination of Pioglitazone and omeprazole showed a statistically significant (p<0.05) reduction in the severity of stomach ulcers and histological damage score. The administration of pioglitazone at a dose of 30 mg/kg to the pre-treated group reduced the levels of TNF-α and SOD to an extent similar to those observed with the reference medication with a significant improvement in the histological markers which indicate that pioglitazone showed a Cytoprotective and gastroprotective effect against ulcerations induced by indomethacin and support the suggestions of using it in the ulcer treatment either alone or in combination with standard treatments.

Keywords

Rats , Indomethacin , Gastric ulcer , Pioglitazone , Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) , Superoxidedismutase (SOD)

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