Gastroprotective property of Pseudocydonia sinensis fruit jelly on the ethanol-induced gastric lesions in rats

Abstract

The gastroprotective activity of Chinese quince (Pseudocydonia sinensis) jellies made from boiling water extracts of the fruit were investigated. Pre-administration of the jellies to rats protected gastric tissues against HCl/ethanol-induced gastric injury, demonstrated by a reduction in the gastric lesion index and TNF-α levels. The effect was stronger in the jellies made from extracts obtained by longer periods of boiling and having high contents of pectin and polyphenols. Procyanidins were the main polyphenolic constituents and the mean degree of polymerization was approximately 7. Although both the polyphenolic and 70% (v/v) acetone-insoluble, pectin-rich solid sub-fractions of the jelly effectively prevented gastric injury, their activities were weaker than that of the jelly. The strong gastroprotective activity of Chinese quince jelly might be due to the synergistic effect of components such as pectin and the procyanidins having high degree of polymerization, that showed a strong binding affinity to the gastric mucosa.

Keywords

• Medicinal fruit
• Processing
• Gastric injury
• Polyphenol
• Pectic polysaccharide
• Procyanidins