In vivo antiulcer activity, phytochemical exploration, and molecular modelling of the polyphenolic-rich fraction of Crepis sancta extract

Bioactivity-guided investigation of the methanol extract of Crepis sancta aerial parts, collected off Al-Tafilah, South Jordan, was applied, and in this study, the extract was explored for its phytochemical components and in vivo antiulcer activity. In addition, a docking study involving the purified compounds with the newly crystalized gastric proton pump (PDB # 5YLU) was performed. In-depth phytochemical investigation using the state-of-the-art chromatographic and analytical techniques was implemented resulting in the identification of two eudesmane-type sesquiterpenoids, 3-oxo-γ-costic acid (1) and its methyl ester (2) together with seven different methoxylated flavonols (3–9) as the extract’s major components. The in vivo antiulcer study at three different doses (50, 100, and 200 mg/kg) against ethanol-induced gastric ulcer in male albino rats, compared to omeprazole (20 mg/kg) as a standard proton pump inhibitor antiulcer drug, revealed that the tested extract, at the middle and the highest doses, featured comparable or even superior activities relative to omeprazole as deduced from histopathological examination, in particular with regard to reducing inflammatory cell infiltration and ceasing mucosal haemorrhage. The tested extract revealed also a dose-dependent reduction in the volume and titrable acidity of the gastric juice together with a dose-dependent increase in the protective gastric mucin content which may explain the noticeable gastroprotective effect. Molecular modelling study of the isolated compounds showed a binding mode similar to the co-crystallized substrate vonoprazan in 5YLU which strengthens the importance of the tested extract as a potential natural remedy for treating gastric ulcer.