Abstract
This study was undertaken to evaluate the antidiarrhoeal activity of 3, 7, 4'-trihydroxy-3'-(8″-acetoxy-7″-methyloctyl)-5, 6-dimethoxyflavone, a flavonoid isolated from the stem bark of Stereospermum kunthianum. The antidiarrhoeal activity was evaluated using rodent models with diarrhoea. The normal intestinal transit, castor oil-induced intestinal transit and castor oil-induced diarrhoea tests in mice as well as castor oil-induced intestinal fluid accumulation in rats were employed in the study. The animals were pretreated with distilled water (10 ml/kg for mice, 5 ml/kg for rats), dimethoxyflavone (25 mg/kg or 50 mg/kg), morphine (10 mg/kg), or indomethacin (10 mg/kg) before induction of diarrhoea with castor oil (0.2ml for mice and 2ml for rats). Dimethoxyflavone dose dependently and significantly reduced (P<0.05) castor oil-induced intestinal motility. Its antimotility effect at the dose of 50 mg/kg was higher compared to that of morphine (10 mg/kg). Dimethoxyflavone (25 mg/kg and 50 mg/kg) caused a delay in the onset of diarrhoea reduction in the number and weight of wet stools and total stools in mice with castor oil-induced diarrhoea compared to the distilled water treated mice. Treatment with dimethoxyflavone (25 mg/kg or 50 mg/kg) did not produce any remarkable effect on castor oil-induced intestinal fluid accumulation in rats and normal intestinal transit in mice. The results indicate that dimethoxyflavone possesses antidiarrhoeal activity due to its intestinal antimotility effect and inhibition of other diarrhoeal pathophysiological processes. In conclusion, dimethoxyflavone reduced the frequency and severity of diarrhoea in the diarrhoeal models studied.
Highlights
Diarrhoea is the leading cause of death in childhood and the frail elderly (Kosec et al, 2003)
We report the antidiarrhoeal activity of dimethoxyflavone in rodents
Diarrhoea is an alteration in the normal bowel movement characterised by increased frequency of bowel sound and movement, wet stool, and abdominal pain (Guerrant et al, 2001)
Summary
Diarrhoea is the leading cause of death in childhood and the frail elderly (Kosec et al, 2003). Gastrointestinal alterations accompanied with diarrhoea have their major impact in the developing world (WHO, 2009). Despite improvements in public health and economic wealth, the incidence of diarrhoea is not completely wiped out and continues to be an important clinical problem (WHO, 2009). A number of therapeutic agents have been developed for the management of diarrhoea (Keith and John, 2012), there is a need for the continuous search for antidiarrhoeal agents. The rural dwellers in most parts of the developing world rely on their indigenous medicine, usually medicinal plants for the management of diarrhoea. Stereospermum kunthianum, a woody shrub of the Sudano-Guinea savannah regions of Africa and Asia, is used in the management of diarrhoea and dysentery in Nigeria and other West African countries (Von Maydell, 1986; Gill, 1992). Its aqueous stem bark extract have been reported to possess antidiarrhoeal activity (Ching et al, 2008)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: African Journal of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicines
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
