Anti-diarrhoeagenic Properties of Aqueous Extract of Phragmanthera capitata S. Balle in Albino Rats

Abstract

Aim: To investigate diarrhoeagenic activities of aqueous extract of Phragmanthera capitata (AEPC) in albino rats. Place and Duration of Study: The study was carried out at the Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Calabar, Calabar, Nigeria, between October 2013 and January 2014. Methodology: Diarrhoeagenic activities were assessed using three models; enteropooling, gastrointestinal transit and faecal discharge. In each of these models, all rats were overnight fasted with access to drinking water until the start of the experiment. The rats were randomized into 5 groups of 7 rats. Group I (control) received saline (10 ml/kg), Group II (standard) and Groups III-V (test) received AEPC (100, 200, 300 mg/kg respectively) by oral gavage. To assess enteropooling activity, castor oil (1 ml) and magnesium sulfate (10 ml/kg in saline) were used to induce enteropooling in two separate experiments. Group II in both experiments received loperamide (3 mg/kg). Intestinal contents were weighed before and after discharging the contents and recorded. To investigate gastrointestinal transit, 0.25 ml of charcoal meal was administered to the rats Original Research Article European Journal of Medicinal Plants, 4(6): 743-752, 2014 744 with standard group receiving atropine (5 mg/kg i.p.). Distance traveled by charcoal meal was measured and recorded. To assess the rate of faecal discharge, castor oil (1 ml) was used to induce diarrhoea and faeces were collected, weighed and recorded. One way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was performed followed by Tukey test as post hoc. Results: The results revealed significant (P =.05) reduction in faecal discharge, weight of intestinal contents and distance traveled by charcoal meal. Conclusion: AEPC possesses anti-secretory, anti-electrolyte permeability and hence anti-diarrhoeagenic properties.