Background and objectives: Gastric ulcers are among the most common diseases affecting humans. Omeprazole, a proton pump inhibitor, is widely used in the treatment of peptic ulcer. Wild honey alone, or in combination with other natural products, has been used to treat gastric ulcer. This study aimed to investigate the possible curative role of curcumin combined with wild honey in comparison to omeprazole on aspirin- induced gastric mucosal damage in adult male albino rats.
Methods and Results: Thirty adult male albino rats were divided into: Group1 (control group), group2 (ulcer group) (received 200mgkg BW aspirin orally). On day 6, rats of group2 were equally subdivided into; subgroup 2a (continued Aspirin), subgroup 2b (received combined curcumin and honey) and subgroup 2c (received 20mgkg BW omeprazole orally). All rats were sacrificed at day 11. Fundic specimens were processed for H &E, PAS, and immunohistochemical stain for COX-2, followed by morphometric assessment and statistical analysis. Aspirin-induced ulcer was evidenced by sloughing of surface epithelium, widened fundic glands, vacuolated surface and mucous neck cells and some vacuolated or shrunken oxyntic with pyknotic nuclei, in addition to significant increase in COX-2 immunoexpression. Combined curcumin and honey improved these histological alterations with a significant decrease in COX-2 immunoreactivity.
Conclusion: the combination of curcumin and wild honey healed most of the deleterious morphological changes of aspirin-induced gastric ulcer, with a comparable effect to omeprazole. This offers an alternative treatment of peptic ulcer to avoid adverse drug reactions.