Zanthoxulym armatum fruit is traditionally used as carminative, anthelmintic, stomachic, and to relieve gastritis. It is commonly found in Nepal, Uttarakhand, and the Himalayan region of India. Tribal peoples used this fruit for various purposes and also as a spice ingredient. The present study aims to investigate the antiulcer potential of the fruit extract, and its isolated compounds. Fruits were extracted with successive extraction methods with hexane, ethyl acetate, and butanol. All the fractions were evaluated for phytochemical investigations. Further, the ethyl acetate fraction, tambulin, and ombuin were tested for antiulcer activity induced by ethanol and pylorus ligation-induced methods. The IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-6 cytokines were also studied followed by histopathology. It has been demonstrated that the ethyl acetate fraction possesses a major class of secondary metabolites. No acute toxicity was observed, as all the organs (heart, kidney, lung, stomach, and liver) were found in normal range and no significant weight variation was found. The antiulcer activity was performed at two different doses of all samples. Tambulin possesses the most significant activity at the dose of 50 mg/kg. Ulcer index and percent ulcer inhibition of tambulin were found to be 2.8 ± 0.6 mm2 and 69.5 ± 0.18 % in pylorus –ligated model whereas 5.2 ± 0.7 mm2 and 70.2 ± 0.15 in the ethanol-induced model. Histopathology results also support the above-mentioned data. Tambulin, a flavonoidal compound isolated from fruits of Z. armatum was found to be useful in the management of ulcers. Ethylacetate extract and ombuin also possess dose-dependent activity.

Evaluation of antiulcer potential of tambulin and ombuin isolated from Zanthoxylum armatum