Abstract
The antidiarrhoeal effects of Lantana camara ethanol leaf and stem extracts were compared in Wistar rats. The phytochemical and acute toxicity tests were also determined. The extracts were evaluated for castor oil- induced diarrhoea and enteropooling as well as intestinal transit in rats. The ethanol stem extract produced significant (P < 0.05), while the ethanol leaf extract produced significant (P < 0.01) dose dependent protection on rats against castor oil induced diarrhoea. The stem extract inhibited intestinal transit time and caused significant (P < 0.05), while leaf extract caused significant (P < 0.01) dose related inhibition of castor oil induced enteropooling in rats, comparable to the standard drugs. The leaf and stem extracts significantly and dose dependently delayed the onset of castor oil induced diarrhoea, decreased the frequency of defecation and reduced the severity of diarrhoea in rats. The ethanol leaf and stem extracts of L. camara significantly and dose dependently decreased the volume of intestinal fluid accumulation in the castor oil induced enteropooling. The distance travelled by charcoal meal in intestinal transit time was also reduced. The oral LD50 values obtained were greater than 5000 mg/kg in rats. These findings suggest that both ethanol leaf and stem extracts of Lantana camara may contain some biologically active ingredients that are active for the treatment of diarrhoea in Nigerian herbal traditional medicine. However, the leaf extract has more antidiarrhoeal activities compared to the stem extract in castor oil-induced diarrhoeal in Wistar rats.
Highlights
Diarrhoea is one of the most common and serious diseases in almost all tropical countries of the world, being the principal cause of morbidity and mortality as a result of fluid loss and severe dehydration among children in the developing countries [1, 2, 3]
The 200 mg/kg, 400 mg/kg and 600 mg/kg of ethanol leaf and stem crude extracts of L. camara produced a dosedependent and significant protection of rats against castor oil-induced diarrhoea, which led to the decreased number of feces
Results from the experiment revealed that 600 mg/kg of ethanol leaf extract of L. camara produced the highest inhibitory effect, showed the maximum percentage inhibition of defecation and the lowest percentage of mean fecal output when compared with the stem crude extract and Loperamide (4 mg/kg); a standard antidiarrhoeal drug (Table 1 and 2)
Summary
Diarrhoea is one of the most common and serious diseases in almost all tropical countries of the world, being the principal cause of morbidity and mortality as a result of fluid loss and severe dehydration among children in the developing countries [1, 2, 3]. Despite different pathophysiological changes in different types of diarrhoea, there are four major mechanisms responsible for pathophysiology in electrolyte and water transport that is, increased luminal osmolarity, increased electrolyte secretion, decreased electrolyte absorption and accelerated intestinal motility causing decreased transit time [6]. To combat this problem, the world health organization (WHO) has initiated a diarrhoeal disease control program to study traditional medicine practices and other related aspects, Corresponding author: Kingsley Chimsorom Chilaka Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Nnewi Campus, Nigeria
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