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Journal of Pharmacology and Toxicology

Year: 2009 | Volume: 4 | Issue: 3 | Page No.: 117-125
DOI: 10.3923/jpt.2009.117.125
Anti-Diarrhoeal Activity of Blighia sapida (Sapindaceae) in Rats and Mice
S. Antwi, O.N.K. Martey, K. Donkor and L.K. Nii-Ayitey Okine

Abstract: The anti-diarrhoeal activity of the ethanolic and aqueous extracts of Blighia sapida (Sapindaceae) stem bark on castor oil-induced diarrhoea and enteropooling and gastrointestinal motility in rats and mice were investigated. Doses of the ethanolic and aqueous extracts of B. sapida (265, 530 and 1060 mg kg-1 body weight) or loperamide (3 mg kg-1) were administered (p.o.) to rats and mice 4 h before castor oil challenge and the numbers of diarrheoal defaecations or weight of feacal matter in intestines noted. In another study, animals were administered with charcoal meal or tragacanth and similar doses of extracts (p.o.) or 0.1 mg kg-1 atropine (i.p.) or tragacanth administered immediately thereafter and the distance moved by the charcoal meal from the pylorus measured. The results indicate that both extracts of B. sapida caused significant (p<0.001) dose-dependent inhibitions of the castor oil-induced diarrhoea (39.7-93.2%) and intestinal motility (31.9-77.5%) with the highest dose (1060 mg kg-1) showing inhibitions (70.4-93.2%) comparable to loperamide (89-100%) and atropine (72.8-100%), respectively. However, castor oil-induced enteropooling was significantly (p<0.05) inhibited by the ethanolic and aqueous extracts in rats (23.8-25.9 %) and mice (58.4-59.0%) at the highest dose compared to 41.6-46.8% for loperamide. These results indicate that there were no significant differences between the ethanolic and aqueous extracts of B. sapida in the reduction or prevention of castor oil-induced diarrhoea and that B. sapida may act through the inhibitions of intestinal motility and enteropooling.

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How to cite this article
S. Antwi, O.N.K. Martey, K. Donkor and L.K. Nii-Ayitey Okine, 2009. Anti-Diarrhoeal Activity of Blighia sapida (Sapindaceae) in Rats and Mice. Journal of Pharmacology and Toxicology, 4: 117-125.

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