Abstract
Purpose: To evaluate the pharmacodynamic effect and cytotoxicity of S. cordatum pulp extract in the treatment of gastrointestinal tract infections.Methods: The air-dried fruit pulps were ground, extracted with 100 % methanol and screened for phytochemicals. Serial microdilution method was used to determine the antibacterial activity of the extract against Bacillus cereus (ATCC 10102), Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25925), Enterococcus hirae (ATCC 8043), Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922), Salmonella typhimurium (ATCC 700030), Klebsiella pneumonia (ATCC 4352), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 7700), Vibrio fluvialis (AL 019) and Vibrio vulnificus (AL 042). The 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay was used to assess the cytotoxicity of the extract. Antidiarrheal and antimotility activities were evaluated using castor oil-induced diarrhoea model in rats.Results: The extract revealed the presence of alkaloids, cardiac glycosides, flavonoids, saponins and terpenoids. Total phenolic content was 16.4 ± 1.8 μg/mg. The extract exhibited antibacterial activity with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of as low as 3.13 mg/ml against B. cereus (ATCC 10102), S. aureus (ATCC 25925), E. hirae (ATCC 8043), P. aeruginosa (ATCC 7700) and K. pneumonia (ATCC 4352). Median inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 92 μg/ml and therapeutic index of 0.1 - 0.3 were exerted by the extract. In vivo antidiarrheal activity was 49 % at extract dose of 400 mg/kg, which was much higher than that of the control (0 %).Conclusion: The fruit-pulp extract of Syzyhium cordatum has both antibacterial, antimotility and antidiarrheal activities, and may therefore be clinically safe for use at low concentrations as an antidiarrheal agent.Keywords: Syzyhium cordatum, Antibacterial, Antidiarrheal, Antimotility, Cytotoxicity
Highlights
Gastrointestinal tract (GIT) infections are the major cause of high morbidity and mortality rates, especially in the developing countries
Phytochemical screening of methanol extract of S. cordatum revealed the presence of alkaloids, cardiac glycosides, flavonoids, saponins and terpenoids
The inhibitory concentration required for 50 % cytotoxicity (IC50) was 92 μg/ml (Figure 1)
Summary
Gastrointestinal tract (GIT) infections are the major cause of high morbidity and mortality rates, especially in the developing countries. More than 1.5 billion episodes of GIT infections that result in more than 3 million deaths are reported annually in the developing countries [1]. The air-dried and pulverized fruit pulps were extracted with methanol (1 : 4 w/v). Any plant material used as food or medicine has to be proven to be nontoxic [5] This is brought by the fact that the extracts may show a therapeutic effect at one point and toxic effect at another. Toxic fruit extracts can cause damage to immune cells’ function, cell lysis and even cell-death. This can directly or indirectly cause more severe occurrences of GIT infections. S. cordatum fruit pulp extract was evaluated for its phytochemical content and antibacterial activity. The total phenolic content was determined from the standard curve of tannic acid and expressed as equivalents of tannic acid (μg/ml)
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