Antidiarrhoeal activity of leaf methanolic extract of Rauwolfia serpentina

Objective:To evaluate the antidiarrhoeal property of methanol extract of the leaves of Rauwolfia serpentina(R. serpentina) in experimental diarrhoea induced by castor oil in mice.Methods:Doses of 100, 200 and 400 mg/kgR. serpentinaleaf methanol extracts were administered to castor oil induced diarrhoea mice to determine its antidiarrhoeal activity.Results:All doses of the extract and the reference drug atropine sulphate(3 mg/kg, i.p.) produced a dose-dependent reduction in intestinal weight and fluid volume. The extracts also significantly reduced the intestinal transit in charcoal meal test when compared to diphenoxylate Hcl(5 mg/kg, p.o.).Conclusions:The results show that the extract of R. serpentin a leaves has a significant antidiarrhoeal activity and supports its traditional uses in herbal medicine.

Antidiarrhoeal efficacy of Mangifera indica seed kernel on Swiss albino mice

Objective:To examine the antidiarrhoeal activity of alcoholic and aqueous seed kernel extract of Mangifera indica(M.indica) on castor oil-induced diarrhoeul activity in Swiss albino mice.Methods:Mango seed kernels were processed and extracted using alcohol and water. Antidiarrhoeal activity of the extracts were assessed using intestinal motility and faecal score methods.Results:Aqueous and alcoholic extracts of M.indica significantly reduced intestinal motility and faecal score in Swiss albino mice.Conclusions:The present study shows the traditional claim on the use of M.indica seed kernel for treating diarrhoea in Southern parts of India.

Antidiabetic and antidiarrhoeal potentials of ethanolic extracts of aerial parts of Cynodon dactylon Pers

Objective: To explore the antidiabetic and the antidiarrhoeal effects of ethanolic extracts of Cynodon dactylon Pers. aerial parts(EECA) in Wistar rats.Methods: To assess the antidiabetic activity of EECA, oral glucose tolerance test(OGTT) model and alloxan induced diabetic test(AIDT) model were performed. The EECA was used at the doses of 2 g/kg, 1 g/kg and 500 mg/kg body weight in OGTT model and 1.5 g/kg was used for AIDT model. Castor oil-induced diarrhoeal model and gastrointestinal motility test with barium sulphate milk model were performed for evaluating the antidiarrhoeal effects at doses of 1 g/kg, 750 mg/kg respectively.Results: The dose 2 g/kg in OGTT and 1.5 g/kg in AIDT model blood glucose levels decreased significantly(P < 0.01) in Wistar rats that showed antidiabetic effect of EECA. After administration of EECA at the dose of 1 g/kg, the extract showed significant(P < 0.05) antidiarrhoeal activity in castor oil-induced diarrhoeal model. The results were also significant(P < 0.01) in barium sulphate milk model for the same dose by using above mentioned animals.Conclusions: It is concluded that EECA contains both antidiabetic and the antidiarrhoeal properties.

Evaluation of Antibacterial and Antidiarrhoeal Activities of <i>Feronia limonia</i>Leaf Extract

The present study was carried out to investigate possible antibacterial and antidiarrhoeal activities of ethanol extract of Feronia limonia leaves. Phytochemical analysis of the crude extract was performed to detect presence of different kinds of phytoconstituents. The antibacterial activity was investigated against four Gram positive and four Gram negative bacteria by using disc diffusion method. The plant extract showed moderate antibacterial activity against Gram positive bacteria namely Staphylococcus saprophyticus and Staphylococcus pyogenes and all tested Gram negative bacteria namely Escherichia coli, Shigella boydii, Shigella dysentery and Shigella flexneri in dose dependant manner. The results of castor oil-induced diarrhoeal study showed that Feronia limonia extract significantly reduced the severity & frequency of diarrhoea in mice at a higher dose of 500 mg/kg compared with the standard drug loperamide (25 mg/kg). The present study clearly supports the medicinal value of this plant. The overall results indicate the possibility of presence of some active principles in the plant extract possessing antibacterial and antidiarrhoeal actions.

Focus on acute diarrhoeal disease

Diarrhoea is an alteration of normal bowel movement characterized by an increase in the water content, volume, or frequency of stools. Diarrhoea needs to be classified according to the trends over time （acute or chronic） and to the characteristics of the stools （watery, fatty, inflammatory）. Secretory diarrhoeas, mostly acute and of viral aetiology in more than 70% of cases, are by far the most important subtype of diarrhoeas in terms of frequency, incidence and mortality （over 2.5 million deaths/year in developing countries）. Natural and synthetic opiates such as morphine, codeine, and Ioperamide which react with endogenous opiates （enkephalins, beta-endorphins, dynorphins） mainly act on intestinal motility and slow down transit. An antidiarrhoeal drug developed in recent years, racecadotril, acts as an enkephalinase inhibitor. Clinical studies have shown that it is just as effective as ioperamide in resolving acute diarrhoea but with greater reduction in pain and abdominal distension. Some studies have explored the prevalence of diarrhoea in old age. An epidemiological study carried out in Italy by 133 General Practitioners on 5515 elderly outpatients reported a prevalence of diarrhoea, defined according to the Rome criteria, of 9.1%. Infectious diseases （19%） and drug use （16%） were the most common causes of diarrhoea in old age. Regardless of the cause, the treatment of elderly patients with diarrhoea must include rehydration and nutritional support. Every year, more than 50 million tourists travel from industrialized countries to places where hygiene levels are pool. At least 75% of those travelling for short periods mention health problems, and in particular traveller＇s diarrhoea.

Antidiarrheal and antimicrobial profiles extracts of the leaves from Trichilia emetica Vahl.(Meliaceae)

Objective:To evaluate and-diarrhoeal and antimicrobial activities of the bioactive fraction of Trichilia emetica in order to provide a scientific basis for the management of gastroenteritis in Burkina Faso.Methods:To do this,polyphenols content of extract and fractions were investigated.FolinCiocalteu,AlCl_3 methods and tannic acid respectively were used for polyphenols content.The in vivo antidiarrhocal activity was done using Swiss albino mice of both sexes.In vitro antimicrobial activity(disc-diffusion assay,minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum microbicidal concentration or minimal bactericidal concentration) was assessed using seven bacteria strains(Gram-negative and Gram-positive).Results:About our study,it was found that ethyl acetate fraction effective attenuation factior(EAF) elicits the higher total phenolics and total flavonoids contents compared to the extracts of leaves of Trichilici emetica.EAF of Trichilia emetica Vahl..has positive effects in a dose dependent manner against diarrhoea induced by castor oil in experimental mice.The bioactive fraction also showed good antimicrobial activity against all tested Gram-negative and Grampositive bacteria strains.It was shown that experimental bacteria strains were more sensitive to the EAF effect compared to the ciprofloxacin.Conclusions:The obtained results allow justifying the traditional uses of Trichilia emetica and possess good antidiarrhoeal and antimicrobial activities of EAF from Trichilia emetica.Results of the present study have clearly supported the utilization of Trichilia emetica in Burkina Faso traditional medicine.