Troxerutin effect on gastric ulcers induced by ketorolac in rats: Relation with oxidative stress

Gastric ulcers are an essential side effect associated with the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Free radicals are one of the important mechanisms contributing to the development of gastric ulcers caused by NSAIDs. This prompted us to choose troxerutin, which has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, especially with a lack of studies investigating the preventive effect of troxerutin on gastric ulcers. Twenty-nine rats were divided into five groups: A Vehicle group, a Keto group (30 mg/kg of ketorolac), and two troxerutin groups (150 mg/kg or 200 mg/kg of troxerutin, respectively). A Miso group was used as a reference with (100 μg/kg of misoprostol). Troxerutin and misoprostol were administered orally 1 h before ketorolac. The ulcer index was determined considering the numbers and severity of ulcerations. Gastric tissue inflammation was evaluation microscopically. Both thiobarbituric acid reactive substance levels and catalase activity were measured as markers of oxidative stress in gastric tissue. Our data showed an improvement in ulcer indices with troxerutin and misoprostol compared with ketorolac, with improvement in gastric inflammation observed with misoprostol but not with troxerutin. These results were accompanied by a reduction in gastric oxidative stress induced by ketorolac with both troxerutin and misoprostol. This study highlights, for the first time, the antioxidant effect of troxerutin on gastric ulcers. This effect may contribute to the good prevention of ketorolac-induced gastric ulcers.