Protective and Therapeutic Effects of an Aqueous Extract of Beetroot (Beta vulgaris L.) Against Indomethacin-Induced Toxicity in Rats: A Biochemical and Histopathological Study

• Sarah Adnan Khudair¹, Aseel Younis Khalaf²

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The present study was conducted to evaluate the protective and therapeutic effects of an aqueous extract of beetroot (Beta vulgaris L.) against indomethacin-induced toxicity in laboratory rats. Thirty adult female Sprague–Dawley rats were randomly allocated into six experimental groups (n = 5/group): control, indomethacin, beetroot extract, co-treatment (indomethacin + beetroot extract), therapeutic beetroot extract, and sucralfate groups. The experiment lasted 45 days. Serum superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA), reduced glutathione (GSH), and prostaglandin E₂ (PGE₂) levels were determined, in addition to histopathological examination of the stomach and duodenum. Indomethacin significantly decreased SOD activity (3.66 ± 0.50 vs. 6.60 ± 0.55), GSH levels (33.95 ± 2.00 vs. 90.78 ± 0.91), and PGE₂ concentrations (187.27 ± 5.60 vs. 371.16 ± 3.94), while significantly increasing MDA levels (538.48 ± 60.67 vs. 289.00 ± 4.95) compared with the control group (P ≤ 0.05). Beetroot extracts markedly ameliorated these biochemical alterations, particularly in the co-treatment group, where SOD, MDA, GSH, and PGE₂ values improved to 5.82 ± 0.49, 338.90 ± 8.22, 69.83 ± 1.15, and 307.67 ± 8.72, respectively (P ≤ 0.05). Histopathological examination confirmed substantial protection of the gastric and duodenal mucosa in beetroot-treated animals, whereas sucralfate produced only partial recovery. These findings indicate that aqueous beetroot extract exerts significant protective and therapeutic effects against indomethacin-induced gastrointestinal toxicity through attenuation of oxidative stress and preservation of mucosal integrity.

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