Abstract
Background The herbal medicine practitioners in Ethiopia have used a wide range of medicinal plants as antidiarrheal agents. Among these, Ruta chalepensis and Vernonia amygdalina were claimed to have antidiarrheal activity in Ethiopian folklore medicine. Hence, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the antidiarrheal activity of the crude extracts of Ruta chalepensis and Vernonia amygdalina in mice. Methods The crude extracts were obtained by cold maceration with 80% methanol, and its antidiarrheal activities were evaluated using a castor oil-induced diarrheal model. The test groups were treated with 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg body weight (bw) of the crude extract of each plant, while the positive controls and negative controls were given loperamide (3 mg/kg.bw) and 2% Tween 80 (10 ml/kg.bw), respectively. Results In the castor oil-induced model, the crude extract of Ruta chalepensis (200 and 400 mg/kg.bw) significantly prolonged the onset of diarrhea in mice. Besides, it also showed a significant reduction in the frequency of stooling and weight of feces. Contrastingly, the crude extract of Vernonia amygdalina had a significant effect in delaying the onset of time of diarrhea and reduction of the frequency of stool and the weight of feces only at the maximum tested dose (400 mg/kg.bw). Conclusion The present study demonstrated that the crude leaves extract of Ruta chalepensis (200 and 400 mg/kg.bw) and Vernonia amygdalina (400 mg/kg.bw) possessed significant antidiarrheal activity in the castor oil-induced diarrheal model.
Highlights
In the castor oil-induced diarrheal model, the crude leaves extract of Ruta chalepensis leaves significantly prolonged the time of diarrheal onset and the frequency of stooling at 200 mg/ kg.bw and 400 mg/kg.bw tested doses
In the castor oil-induced diarrheal model, the crude leaves extract of Ruta chalepensis significantly prolonged the diarrheal onset and the frequency of stooling at middle and higher tested doses. is study is in line with other study which showed the hydromethanolic crude extract of Indigofera spicata at 200 and 400 mg/kg.bw doses had statistically significant inhibition of the frequency of defecation. [21] e significant antidiarrheal activity of this plant could be due to the probable localization of secondary metabolites to inhibit castor oil-induced fluid secretion
Phytochemical screening study showed that the leaves extract of Ruta chalepensis was endowed with alkaloids, flavonoids, polyphenols, terpenoids, cardiac glycosides, and saponins
Summary
Despite advances of science in the understanding of the causes, treatment, and prevention of diarrheal diseases, significant number of children’s death occur every year. The use of medicinal plants for the treatment of diarrhea in folk medicine is a routine practice in many countries of the world. [10] Among these plants, the leaves extract of Vernonia amygdalina and Ruta chalepensis has a claimed folklore use as an antidiarrheal agent. [11, 12] Besides, the previous study by Olayemi et al showed that the ethanolic stem bark extract of Vernonia amygdalina had significant antidiarrheal activity. [14] Despite this traditional claim and previous studies, it was not fully investigated scientifically to validate its therapeutic effect. The present study aimed to scientifically validate its importance to corroborate the traditional claim in Ethiopia
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