Evaluation of the Antidiarrheal Activity of 80% Methanol Extract of the Aerial Parts of Ajuga remota Benth in Mice
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Date
2014-12
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
In the Ethiopian traditional medicine, the aerial parts of Ajuga remota Benth ( Local
name, Armagusa) is used in the treatment of diarrhea. Since this claim has not been
investigated scientifically, this study was undertaken to evaluate the anti-diarrheal
activity of 80% methanol extract of A. remota (MEAR) using experimental models in
mice . The MEAR was administered at doses of (200, 400, 600 and 800 mg/kg ) to four
groups of mice (six animals per group) orally in castor oil diarrhea model. Two other
groups , one as control and the other as standard ( loperamide 5mg/kg ) were used for
comparison with the treatment group. The effect of the extract on the other models,
enteropooling and gastrointestinal transit models, was also evaluated using the same
grouping and dosing . The extract at doses of 400, 600, and 800 mg/kg produced a dosedependent
and significant inhibition both on the frequency and onset of diarrhea. The
percentage purging frequency was 53.4%, 66.7%, 79.6% (p < 0.001; for all), and 66.7%
(p < 0.001) at three doses of MEAR (400, 600, and 800mg/kg ) and with loperamide
(5mg/kg ), respectively. The percentage inhibition in intestinal fluid accumulation was
42.5%, 62.1% , and 74.2% ( p < 0.001; for all ) at doses of 400, 600 and 800 mg/kg of
MEAR, respectively. The MEAR also inhibited significantly (p<0.001) and in a dose
dependent manner both the normal or castor oil induced intestinal transit. Phytochemical
screening revealed the presence of secondary metabolites like alkaloids, flavonoids,
terpenoids, tannins, phenolics, glycosides, steroids, and saponins which might have
accounted for the antidiarrheal activity. To conclude, this study has shown that the
hydroalcoholic extract of A. remota contains pharmacologically active substances with
significant antidiarrheal activity in all the experimental models used in this study .
Key words : Antidiarrheal, castor oil, enteropooling, gastrointestinal propulsion, Ajuga
remota
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Keywords
Antidiarrheal, castor oil, Enteropooling, Gastrointestinal propulsion