Aqueous Extract of Capsicum Frutescens Exhibits Saturation Phenomenon in Gastric Acid Secretion

Abstract

Introduction Gastric acid is component of gastric juice secreted in the stomach. It is a secretory product of the parietal or oxyntic cell mainly concentrated in the fundic area of the stomach. Parietal cells secrete at a concentration of roughly 160 mM (equivalent to a pH of 0.8) when stimulated. The other cells of the stomach are the chief cells, mucus cells and neuroendocrine cells (Helander, 1993). The study of gastric acid secretion has been on for quite a long time. Beaumont (1822), Heidenhain (1834-1897), Edkins (1905), Pavlov (1910), Ivy (1928), Babkin (1930), and Gregory and Tracy (1963) were among the many 19th and 20th century investigators concerned with the mechanism of acid secretion in stomach (Ibu, 1987) The effects of orally ingested substances among which is Capsicum frutescens on gastric function have been the subject of human investigation almost since the discovery of hydrochloric acid in gastric juice by Prout (1824). Capsicum frutescens commonly called Tatase in Nigerian market is widely consumed in Nigeria, West Africa and many other parts of the world. It contains capsaicin which is 8-methyl-N-vanillyl-6-nonenamide as the main principle and it is a pungent phenolic chemical (Gonzalez et al., 1998, Kim et al., 2009). Other capsaicinoids found in Capsicums include dihydrocapsaicin, homocapsaicin, homodihydrocapsaicin and norhydrocapsaicin. Vitamins A and C, fatty acids, carotene, flavonoids, thiamine, citric, tartaric, malic and tannic acids have also been found in the fruit (Alevizes et al., 2007). The effects of Capsicum frutescens on gastric acid secretion have not been widely explored.