Abstract :
Gastric ulcer (GU) is a serious gastrointestinal disease, poses a considerable threat to humans, It’s pathophysiology involves an imbalance between mucosal protective and offensive factors. This study highlighted the protective effect of either sweet potato juice (SPJ) carrot juice (CJ) or their combination against gastric ulcer induced by indomethacin. Sixty male adult albino rats Sprague-Dawley strain were equally divided into six groups, group (1) healthy control group, group (2) GU group, group (3) SPJ + GU, group (4) CJ + GU, group (5) mixture of SPJ& CJ (MJ)+ GU, group (6) Omperazole (Omp) + GU. Biochemical investigations include oxidative stress (MDA and NO), antioxidant (SOD, GSH and TAC), inflammatory (IL-6, TNF-α and CRP) and apoptotic biomarker Caspase-3. Also, PGE2, COX-1, pepsin and hydroxyproline. Furthermore, gastric juice was examined for pH, while gastric tissues were examined for ulcer score, ulcer index as well as gene expression level of Hsp70. Histopathology observation of gastric tissues was detected by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining, the expression of Bcl-2 and Bax in gastric tissues were evaluated by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Results obtained from the current study revealed that either SPJ, CJ or the MJ exert a protective effect against GU, shown by a decrease in the gastric ulcer index and score as well as the biochemical parameters in serum. The juices up-regulate the expression of HSP-70 and by up-regulation of Bcl-2 and down-regulation of Bax. SPJ and CJ are therapeutically valuable for enhancing gastric ulcer remediation as they are capable of inhibiting indomethacin-induced damage.