comparing the analgesic and anti-ulcer properties of green tea aqueous extract with licofelone

Introduction: green tea possesses gastroprotective effects via different mechanisms including lipoxygenase inhibition. we compared its protective effects with licofelone (as a potent lipoxygenase inhibitor) on reducing the incidence of gastric ulcers caused by indomethacin.methods: 48 rats received an aqueous extract of green tea (gtae; 50, 100, and 200 mg/kg), licofelone (30 mg/kg), zileuton (100 mg/kg), or 0.18% tween 80 in the presence of indomethacin (100 mg/kg). two groups received only gtae (200 mg/kg) or indomethacin (100 mg/kg). the gastric ulcer index and malondialdehyde (mda) in gastric tissues were evaluated. to investigate the analgesic effect in acute and chronic phases, 24 rats received gtae (200 mg/kg), licofelone (30 mg/kg), indomethacin (30 mg/kg), or 0.18% tween 80 in the presence of formalin (2.5%). the behavior of rats was monitored for 30 minutes (minutes 0 to 5 and 25 to 30) for licking and biting feet and tails.results: indomethacin (100 mg/kg) produced clear macroscopic lesions compared to the control group. gtae (100 and 200 mg/kg), licofelone, and zileuton showed a significant decrease in wound score compared to indomethacin. gtae (100 mg/kg and 200), licofelone, and zileuton displayed a significant decrease in the mda content of gastric tissue compared to the indomethacin group. notably, gtae exerted greater benefits than licofelone. besides, gtae (200 mg/kg) showed a significant decrease observed in both acute and chronic stages of pain compared to licofelone (30 mg/kg).conclusion: gtae (200 mg/kg) possesses anti-ulcer and analgesic effects similar to licofelone. the exact mechanism is probably via inhibition of lipoxygenase (lox) and antioxidant effects.