Anti-Diarrheal Activity of the Aqueous Leaf Extract of Ageratum Conyzoides in Wistar Rats

摘要

The leaves of Ageratum conyzoides had been reportedly used in traditionalmedicine in the treatment of diarrhea. Thus its aqueous leaf extract was investigated forits possible anti-diarrheal property using castor oil induced diarrheal, charcoal mealintestinal transit and castor oil-induced enteropooling models in Wistar rats tosubstantiate its folklore claim. In castor oil induced diarrheal model, 500 mg/kg and 1000mg/kg body weight doses of the extract showed dose dependent remarkable anti-diarrhealactivity evidenced by delay in diarrheal latency, reduction in the rate of defecation andconsistency, although it was not comparable to that loperamide which elicited absent ofdiarrheal. In charcoal meal intestinal transit models, extract doses (500 mg/kg and 1000mg/kg) also elicited dose dependent anti-diarrheal activity, evidenced by reduction indistance travelled by charcoal meal. Although, it was not also comparable to that ofintraperitoneal injection of standard drug, Atropine sulphate at a dose of 0.1 mg/kg bodyweight. Experimental findings showed that aqueous leaf extract of Ageratum conyzoidespossess anti-diarrheal activity and may be a potential source of anti-diarrheal drug infuture. Higher doses may possess better anti-diarrhoeal properties.