assessment of gastroprotective activity of aqueous leaf extract of ageratum conyzoides l.: role of mucous cells, anti-apoptotic (bcl-2) and tumor suppressor (p53) proteins

Introduction: generally, factors that up-regulate gastric mucosal protective factors or down-regulate aggressive factors contribute to the maintenance of mucosal integrity. this study was done to assess the role of mucous cells, bcl-2 and p53 proteins during the gastroprotective activity of aqueous extract of ageratum conyzoides. methods: the phytochemistry of a. conyzoides extract was analyzed using a gas chromatography-mass spectrometer. animals were subdivided into five groups, including non-treated normal control group a, non-treated test control group b, and treated groups c-e (pre-treated with 100, 300, and 500 mg/kg a. conyzoides, respectively for 28 days). after the treatment period, pyloric-ligation was used to induce mucosal injury. gastric tissues were harvested, grossly examined, and processed for histological, histochemical, and immunohistochemical studies. stained sections were examined and quantified using image-j software. the data were analyzed using ibm-spss (version 23), and comparisons were checked via t test and analysis of variance. results: mild mucosal erosion was observed in the treated groups, but intense erosion was prominent in the test control animals. there was an insignificant increase in mucous cells, a significant (p < 0.05) increase in bcl-2 expression without a significant increase in p53 expression in gastric mucosa of pre-treated animals compared to normal control. gastric mucosa of test control showed a significant (p < 0.05) decrease in mucous cell count and bcl-2 expression with a significant concomitant increase in p53 expression. conclusion: increased mucous cell population and reciprocal expressions of bcl-2 and p53 proteins in the gastric mucosa of animals highlighted the sub-cellular mechanisms of gastroprotective activity of a. conyzoides