Abstract
Purpose : To evaluate the diuretic activity and acute toxicity profile of the crude aqueous extract of Achyranthes aspera using animal models. Methods : Albino rats of either sex were divided into five groups (six animals in each group). The control group received normal saline (10 ml/kg), the reference group received furosemide (10 mg/kg) and the test groups were administered different doses of the crude aqueous extract (10, 30 and 50 mg/kg) by intra-peritoneal route, respectively. At the end of 6 h, urine was collected and total volume of urine excreted by each rat was expressed as ml/6 h/100 g of body weight. pH of fresh urine samples, concentration of urinary sodium and potassium ions, Lipschitz value, diuretic index, saliuretic index and Na+/K+ ratio were also calculated to make comparison among the groups. The acute toxicity of the crude extract was assessed in Albino mice. Results : The findings demonstrated that the crude aqueous extract of the plant showed significant diuretic (p < 0.001), natriuretic (p < 0.001) and kaliuretic (p < 0.001) effects. However, during the course of the study, urinary pH remained unchanged. The diuretic index values for the test groups (III, IV & V) were 2.3, 2.6 and 3.1, respectively. Lipschitz values showed that, at the dose of 50 mg/kg, the crude extract showed 46 % of diuretic activity as compared with furosemide. No toxic effects were observed among Albino mice even at a higher dose of 3000 mg/kg. Conclusion : The crude extract of Achyranthes aspera increases the urine volume and concentration of urinary electrolytes in a dose-dependent manner. Therefore, this plant has a diuretic potential. However, future studies should focus on isolating the phytochemical component(s) responsible for diuresis. Keywords : Achyranthes aspera, Na+/K+ ratio, Lipschitz value, Saliuretic, Diuretic index, Natriuretic
Highlights
Medicinal plants contain many known and unknown medicinally important chemical substances
Compared with the control group, approximately 2.3, 2.6 and 3.1 fold increase in urine output was observed in the respective test groups
Various studies have explained that the flavonoids, saponins, alkaloids and organic acids are responsible for the diuretic activity of a plant extract [11]
Summary
Medicinal plants contain many known and unknown medicinally important chemical substances. Over 75 % of the world’s population still depends on plantderived medicines for the treatment of common ailments [1] According to another estimate, approximately 80 % of the world’s population relies upon plants for their medication [2] and between 35,000 and 70,000 plant species are used in folk medicine worldwide [3]. One of the reasons to use herbs as medicines is probably the presence of synergistic and/or side effects neutralizing combinations of phytochemical constituents [5]. Another reason for the shifting trends towards natural products is the harmful effects of synthetic chemicals
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