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Donkey milk research · Study 138
Donkey milk and indomethacin in rats: measurements on the gastric mucosa
Rats that additionally received donkey milk by tube for 10 days showed less mucosal damage after a dose of the painkiller indomethacin than rats without milk: 1.50 instead of 2.25 points macroscopically and 0.88 instead of 2.00 histologically. The oxidation marker MDA was 0.20 instead of 0.32 and glutathione 1.46 instead of 0.95 µmol/ml; there were 8 animals per group.
At a glance · swipe or use the arrows
The key figures
Study design
How it was studied
Animal study at Trakya University in Edirne (Turkey), carried out from October 2013 to May 2014. 32 male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 4 groups of 8: control, donkey milk, indomethacin, and donkey milk plus indomethacin. The milk groups additionally received donkey milk by gastric tube every morning for 10 days (stated as 25 mg/kg); the milk was fresh, unprocessed and delivered daily from a farm in Kırklareli province. On day 11, groups 3 and 4 received a single dose of 30 mg/kg indomethacin; 6 hours later all animals were killed. Mucosal damage was scored by eye (0–4) and under the microscope (0–3), along with inflammation (0–3), malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione (GSH) in the tissue, and TNF-α by immunohistochemistry (0–2).
Interactive chart · values from the study
Mucosal damage and inflammation (mean values)
Source: Table I of the study, 8 rats per group.
Second analysis
MDA and glutathione in the gastric mucosa
Source: Table II of the study. The unit for MDA is given as nmol/g in the methods and as µmol/ml in the results.
Results
What the study measured
Without indomethacin, the control and milk groups showed no notable damage (macroscopic 0.13 and 0.00 points). With indomethacin the score was 2.25 without milk and 1.50 with milk (p < 0.05).
Under the microscope, the indomethacin group had deep ulcers reaching the submucosa (score 2.00), while the group with donkey milk mostly had superficial erosions without deep ulcers (0.88).
The inflammation score was 2.38 without and 1.25 with donkey milk; in the control and milk groups it was 0.25 and 0.13.
MDA, a marker of lipid oxidation, rose with indomethacin from 0.12 to 0.32 µmol/ml; with donkey milk it was 0.20. Glutathione fell from 1.56 to 0.95 µmol/ml; with donkey milk it was 1.46.
TNF-α staining after indomethacin was 1.75 without and 0.88 with donkey milk (score 0–2). Donkey milk alone did not significantly change any of the values compared with the control.
Authors’ conclusion: With its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, donkey milk is said to have protected the rats’ gastric mucosa from indomethacin damage. What was measured was acute damage after a single dose in 8 rats per group; the experiment says nothing about humans, longer-term use of painkillers or stomach diseases.
Critical appraisal
Strengths and limitations
Rats, acute modelClear limitation
A single dose of indomethacin and examination after 6 hours. This is a laboratory model, not a situation in humans.
Unclear milk doseNote
25 mg/kg donkey milk per day is stated, while the same section mentions 200 to 500 ml per day. The amount actually given cannot be reconstructed.
Small groups, inconsistent unitsNote
8 animals per group. MDA is given in nmol/g in the methods and in µmol/ml in the results; blinding of the assessors is not described.
Title judges more strongly than the dataNote
“Protective effect” is the authors’ interpretation. A comparison with another milk, such as cow’s milk, is missing; whether the effect is specific to donkey milk remains open.
Four groups, several levels of measurementStrength
A control and a milk-without-indomethacin group are included; macroscopic, histological, biochemical and immunohistochemical values point in the same direction. The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
Editorial note: In the rat experiment, values after indomethacin were more favourable with prior donkey milk than without. This is a finding from an acute animal model with an unclear dose statement; it allows no statement about protecting the stomach in humans. To the research archive.
Research question for DON DONKEY’S®
How do freshly milked and frozen, then thawed donkey milk from our partner farms differ in protein, fat and lysozyme activity?
Original publication
Indomethacin-induced gastric damage in rats and the protective effect of donkey milk
Original title: Indomethacin-induced gastric damage in rats and the protective effect of donkey milk
Tastekin E., Ayvaz S., Usta U., Aydogdu N., Cancilar E., Puyan F. O.
Archives of Medical Science · 2018 · 14(3), 671–678
Departments of Pathology and Paediatric Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Trakya University, Edirne, Turkey (according to the paper)
Transparency: the paper gives no information on funding; the authors declare no conflicts of interest. Approved by the local animal ethics committee of Trakya University. No product-related statement for DON DONKEY’S®.
Summarised and checked by the DON DONKEY’S editorial team against the original publication · As of: November 2026
The study summarised above was carried out independently of DON DONKEY’S® and does not relate to our products. It serves solely to inform about the state of research.
DON DONKEY’S® donkey milk and donkey milk powder are foods. They are not intended to prevent, treat or cure any disease and do not replace medical advice.
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On this page we report the findings of a published study. Independently of that, you will find our donkey milk here: 100 % donkey milk, frozen as raw milk.
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