Anti-Diarrhoeal Activity of Blighia sapida (Sapindaceae) in Rats and Mice

摘要

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 (pO.OOl) 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.