A review of the most common in vivo models of stomach ulcers and natural and synthetic anti-ulcer compounds: A comparative systematic study

Peptic ulcer disease (stomach and duodenal ulcers) is one of the most painful diseases, affecting an estimated 4 million Americans, according to a new statistic, and will affect 1 in 10 patients during their lifetime. Several animal models exist to study gastric ulcers, but the most commonly used one has not yet been identified and discussed in the published literature. However, in this study, among the mentioned anti-ulcer agents (synthetic compounds, phytochemicals, herbal extracts, and probiotics), more effective anti-ulcer agents were discovered and investigated. All information related to this study was collected through August 2021 using relevant keywords in libraries or electronic databases such as PubMed, Science Direct, Wiley Online Library, Google Scholar, Springer, etc. The rat ethanol-induced gastric ulcer model was used more frequently than other gastric ulcer models to study anti-ulcer activity. Because ethanol-induced gastric ulcer develops more rapidly than other models, the resulting gastric ulcer is very similar to acute gastric ulcer in humans. Data from previous studies also show that herbal extracts are the most effective agents against gastric ulcer due to their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects and high content of phytochemicals. The results show that the ethanol-induced gastric ulcer model is the most commonly used in vivo studies. Herbal extracts are also the best option among anti-ulcer drugs for prevention and treatment.