Antidiarrheal activity of 80% methanol extract of the aerial part of Ajuga remota Benth (Lamiaceae) in mice.

Teshager Yacob,Workineh Shibeshi,Teshome Nedi

doi:10.1186/s12906-016-1277-8

Teshager Yacob, Workineh Shibeshi + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1186/s12906-016-1277-8

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Abstract

BackgroundIn the Ethiopian traditional medicine, the aerial part of Ajuga remota Benth is used in the treatment of diarrhea. There are different mechanisms by which Ajuga remota may have antidiarrheal effect. Some of the possible mechanisms are through its anthelmintic and antibacterial activity. The present study aimed to evaluate whether the antidiarrheal effect of the plant also include antimotility and antisecretory effect using 80 % methanol extract of A. remota (MEAR).MethodsThe MEAR was administered at doses of 200, 400, 600 and 800 mg/kg to four groups of mice (six animals per group) orally in castor oil diarrhea model. The effect of the extract on enteropooling and gastrointestinal transit model was also evaluated using the same grouping and dosing. Two other groups, one as control and the other as standard (loperamide 5 mg/kg) were used for comparison with the treatment groups.ResultsThe extract at the doses of 400, 600, and 800 mg/kg produced a dose-dependent and significant inhibition both on the frequency and onset of diarrhea. The percentage purging frequency was 53.4, 66.7, 79.6, and 66.7 % (p < 0.001) at three doses of MEAR (400, 600, and 800 mg/kg) and with loperamide (5 mg/kg), respectively. The percentage inhibition in intestinal fluid accumulation was 42.5, 62.1, and 74.2 % (p < 0.001) at the doses of 400, 600 and 800 mg/kg of MEAR, respectively. The MEAR also inhibited the intestinal transit of charcoal meal in a dose dependent manner both in the normal and castor oil induced intestinal transit.ConclusionThis study has shown that the 80 % methanol extract of A. remota contains pharmacologically active substances with significant antimotility and antisecretory effect contributing for its antidiarrheal activity.

Highlights

In the Ethiopian traditional medicine, the aerial part of Ajuga remota Benth is used in the treatment of diarrhea
Values are expressed as Mean ± SEM.(n = 6 mice) aagainst control, bagainst standard, cagainst 800 methanol extract of A. remota (MEAR), dagainst 600 MEAR, eagainst 400 MEAR, fagainst 200 MEAR *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001., numbers refers to dose in mg/kg, Percent inhibition (PI) refers to percent inhibition of defecation methanol extract of Ajuga remota, control: groups treated with 10 ml/kg 2 % tween 80 at the doses of 200, 400, 600 and 800 mg/kg, p.o. of MEAR respectively, while the 800 mg/kg of the extract gave a maximum index of 98.1 %
This study was carried out to evaluate the antidiarrheal activity of the plant extract of A. remota in experimental animals, and determine the possible mechanism of action

Summary

Introduction

In the Ethiopian traditional medicine, the aerial part of Ajuga remota Benth is used in the treatment of diarrhea. There are different mechanisms by which Ajuga remota may have antidiarrheal effect. The present study aimed to evaluate whether the antidiarrheal effect of the plant include antimotility and antisecretory effect using 80 % methanol extract of A. remota (MEAR). Plant extracts are some of the most attractive sources of new drugs and have shown to produce promising results in the treatment of diarrhea [1]. There is a continuous and urgent need to discover new antidiarrheal compounds with diverse chemical structures and novel mechanisms of action. The herb is not eaten by animals, birds or insects. This is probably due to the very bitter taste of almost all its parts [4].

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