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Background and purpose: Sucrose can be used as a marker for gastric ulcer as healthy gastric tissue is almost impermeable to sucrose. The aim of this study was to determine the plasma and urine sucrose level in patients with gastric ulcer compared with the control group.
Materials and methods: Â cross-sectional study was performed on 30 patients with benign gastric ulcer (based on endoscopy and pathology reports) and 30 healthy subjects as the control group. Plasma and urinary sucrose levels were indirectly measured by acid hydrolyze method using a spectrophotometer at 510 nm. Data were analyzed with Fisher's exact and T-test using SPSS, and P<0.05 was considered as significant level.
Results: The mean plasma and urinary excretion of sucrose in patients were 22.17 ± 1.85 and 4.51 ± 2.5, respectively, whereas in the control group, they were 6.62 ± 2.31 and 2.83 ± 0.63, respectively. These differences were statistically significant between the two groups (P<0.05 in all instances).
Çonclusion: Determination of sucrose can be used as a non-invasive method in the diagnosis of benign gastric ulcer.

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Background and purpose: Gastric ulcer is one of the most common diseases of the digestive system. Among the factors that cause gastric ulcers, excessive alcohol consumption is the main reason for stomach mucosal damage; therefore, the experimental model of gastric ulcer caused by ethanol is often used to screen anti-ulcer compounds. There are a wide range of chemical drugs that can be used to treat Gastric ulcers, however, they can also cause side effects. With an emphasis on the need for new drugs with higher efficacy and fewer side effects in the treatment of gastric ulcers, this study was conducted to evaluate the gastroprotective effects of royal jelly on ethanol-induced gastric ulcers in rats.
Materials and methods: Sixty Sprague-Dawley rats were allocated to six equal groups. The animals were randomly divided into five equal groups. Groups 1 and 2 were considered as normal control (no treatment) and ethanol control. The animals in group 3 were treated with 10 mg/Kg omeprazole, and in groups 4, 5, and 6 received 1, 2.5, and 5 mg/Kg royal jelly, respectively for three days. On the third day, one hour after the administration of drugs, all animals except the control normal group received ethanol. The animals were euthanized at the end of the experiment and appropriate tissue samples were collected from the stomach for macro- and microscopic examinations as well as measurement of biochemical factors.
Results: On macroscopic examination of the glandular tissue of the stomach, the highest amount of hyperemia and bleeding including hemorrhagic longitudinal bands and petechial lesions were observed in the ethanol group, while in the groups pretreated with omeprazole and different doses of royal jelly, the severity and extent of lesions were significantly less. Histopathologically, the most damage was observed in the gastric glandular tissue of rats in the ethanol group, which includes extensive mucosal ulcers, severe hemorrhage in the mucosa, segmental necrosis of the gastric mucosal epithelium, gastric glands disorganization, the loss of chief and parietal cells, severe submucosal edema accompanied by fibrin infiltration in some sections and inflammatory cells infiltration in the submucosa. Although the pattern of lesions in the stomach of rats receiving omeprazole and different doses of royal jelly was similar to the ethanol group, the severity and extent of lesions were less. Omeprazole and royal jelly significantly increased the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and also significantly decreased the activity of myeloperoxidase (MPO) and malondialdehyde (MDA) as compared with the ethanol group. In comparison between the treated groups, the best therapeutic and protective effects were related to the high dose of royal jelly.
Conclusion: Based on the results, royal jelly improved the ulcer index and reduced the histopathological lesions caused by the effect of ethanol on the gastric mucosa. Moreover, it caused a significant increase in the activity of GPx and SOD enzymes, as well as TAC, and a decrease in the concentration of MPO and MDA. The protective effects of royal jelly can be related to the antioxidant activities and cellular protection of this substance.

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Background and purpose: The aging population and its associated complications, such as chronic pain, have led to an increased use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like indomethacin. However, indomethacin is associated with notable side effects, particularly gastric ulcers. This study aims to investigate the potential protective effects of hydroalcoholic extracts of Zataria multiflora and Eryngium caucasicum in preventing indomethacin-induced gastric ulcers in an animal model.
Materials and methods: In this experimental study, total phenol and flavonoid levels of the Zataria multiflora L. and Eryngium caucasicum L. plants were measured. Cultivated Artemia salina was used to evaluate the toxicity of the extracts. The animal study was conducted using eight groups of Balb/c mice. The groups included indomethacin at 70 mg/kg, omeprazole at 30 mg/kg, and three concentrations (250, 500, and 1000 mg/kg) of Eryngium caucasicum L. and Zataria multiflora L., respectively, administered individually to mice via gavage. One hour later, indomethacin was administered to the mice by gavage to induce gastric ulcers. Four hours after ulcer induction, the anesthetized animals were sacrificed, and their stomachs were removed for histopathological and morphological evaluation.
Results: The amount of total phenol in Zataria multiflora L. and Eryngium caucasicum L. plants was 113.5 mg/ml and 26.06 mg/ml, respectively, and the flavonoid content of these plants was 41 mg/ml and 16.79 µg/ml, respectively. The toxicity results of cultivated Artemia salina showed that the toxicity of Zataria multiflora and Eryngium caucasicum plants was 500±0.0012 ppm and 0.0031±0 ppm, respectively. The histopathological results showed that Zataria multiflora and Eryngium caucasicum played an effective role in reducing inflammation, bleeding in stomach tissue, and congestion. Furthermore, the results showed that a dose of 1000 mg/kg was more effective than lower doses for both extracts.
Conclusion: Hydroalcoholic extracts of Eryngium caucasicum  and  Zataria multiflora plants demonstrated a protective effect against stomach ulcers. This effect appears to be attributed to the presence of phenols and flavonoids in the extracts and is dose-dependent.

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Background and purpose: Gastric ulcers pose significant health challenges due to their high prevalence in various populations. Several factors contribute to the development of this condition, including Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection, excessive use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), smoking, age, and gender. Given the high incidence of gastric ulcers induced by NSAID consumption, this study aims to investigate the protective effects of hydroalcoholic extracts of Satureja hortensis and Froriepia subpinnata against indomethacin-induced gastric ulcers in animal models.
Materials and methods: n this experimental study, the leaves of Satureja hortensis and Froriepia subpinnata were dried and extracted using 60% ethanol. The toxicity of these plant extracts was assessed using Artemia salina. The total phenolic and flavonoid contents of the extracts were measured spectrophotometrically. For the animal study, 48 Balb/c mice (n= 6 per group) were used. The treatment groups included omeprazole (30 mg/kg) and three different doses (250, 500, and 1000 mg/kg) of Satureja hortensis and Froriepia subpinnata, administered separately by gavage. A negative control group received normal saline. One hour after treatment, indomethacin was administered via gavage to induce gastric ulcers. Four hours after indomethacin administration, the animals were anesthetized, and their stomachs were collected for histopathological evaluation.
Results: Histopathological findings revealed that inflammation, gastric tissue bleeding, and congestion were reduced in the Satureja hortensis and Froriepia subpinnata groups. Moreover, the 1000 mg/kg dose of both extracts demonstrated greater efficacy compared to the lower doses tested.
Conclusion: Extracts of Satureja hortensis and Froriepia subpinnata exhibit a protective effect against gastric ulcers induced by NSAIDs. This protective effect is likely attributed to the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of phenols and flavonoids present in the extracts and appears to be dose-dependent.