Antidiarrhoeal activities of aqueous extract of Stereospermum kunthianum (Cham, Sandrine Petit) stem bark in rodents

Abstract

The antidiarrhoeal effect of the aqueous extract of Stereospermum kunthianum (Cham, Sandrine Petit) stem bark was investigated in in vivo experimentally-induced diarrhoeal models using mice and rats. The extract (100, 200 or 400 mg/kg) dose-dependently reduced castor oil-induced intestinal transit in mice, with the greatest effect observed with the 200 mg/kg body weight of the extract. The pretreatment of mice with the extract (100, 200 or 400 mg/kg) caused a dose-dependent and significant (p < 0.05) delay in the onset of diarrhoea, frequency of stooling, decreased weight of wet stools and the general diarrhoeal score in mice. The effect of the extract on the normal intestinal transit in mice was not significant. However, in the phenol red meal test in rats, the extract (100, 200 or 400 mg/kg) in a doserelated manner, significantly (p < 0.05) decreased the normal intestinal transit in rats, without a significant effect on the gastric emptying compared to loperamide (5 mg/kg) treated rats. The extract produced no significant effect on the castor oil-induced fluid accumulation in rats. Also, the extract produced no mortalities in mice at a maximum oral dose of 8 g/kg; it is therefore well tolerated and relatively safe by oral route. The results indicate that the aqueous extract possesses antidiarrhoeal activity. This is a possible reason for its antidiarrhoeal use in traditional medicine.