Alaa aldeen Ali irheef¹, Basim J Hameed¹ , Qutaiba A Qasim¹

Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Basra, Basra, Iraq;

For correspondence:-  Basim Hameed   Email: basim.hameed@uobasrah.edu.iq

Received: 7 June 2026        Accepted: 19 September 2026        Published: 30 September 2026

Citation: Ali irheef A, Hameed BJ, Qasim QA. Gastroprotective and antioxidant effects of curcumin, tahini, and their combination against acute ethanol-induced gastric ulcers in rats. Trop J Pharm Res 2026; 25(9):1217-1224 doi: 10.4314/tjpr.v25i9.4

© 2026 The authors.
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Abstract

Purpose: To investigate the gastroprotective, antioxidant, hepatoprotective, and nephroprotective effects of curcumin and tahini against acute ethanol-induced gastric ulceration and hepato-renal injury in rat model.

Methods: A total of 30 Wistar rats were assigned to 6 groups (n = 5). Group 1 received carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), group 2 received ethanol, group 3 received esomeprazole (20 mg/kg in 0.5 mL 1 % CMC), group 4 received curcumin (50 mg/kg in 0.5 mL 1 % CMC), group 5 received tahini paste (2.5 mL/kg), group 6 received curcumin in addition to tahini. Biochemical profile was assessed and levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), reduced glutathione (GSH), catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), gastric juice pH, and liver/kidney function markers (ALT, AST, CK, urea) and histopathological examination of gastric tissues were evaluated.

Results: Group 2 showed significantly higher MDA, lower GSH, CAT, and SOD, and PGE₂ levels (p < 0.05) compared to group 1. The combination of curcumin and tahini restored levels of GSH, CAT, SOD, MDA, and PGE₂ to normal. Furthermore, Curcumin and Tahili significantly increased gastric pH in gastric juice (p < 0.05) and resolved liver and kidney injury.

Conclusion: Curcumin and Tahili significantly reduce levels of inflammatory markers and restore liver and kidney histoarchitecture

Keywords: Antioxidants, Curcumin, Ethanol, Gastroprotective, Liver function, Kidney function, Tahini

Impact Factor
Thompson Reuters (ISI): 0.6 (2023)
H-5 index (Google Scholar): 49 (2023)