Evaluation of the Diuretic and Analgesic Activities of the Rhizomes of Rumex Abyssinicus Jacqinmice
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Date
2008-10
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Rumex abyssinicus Jacq (Polygonaceae) is a widely spread medicinal plant used
traditionally for treatment of several ailments, including hypertension, inflammatory
and painful conditions. The present study aimed to examine the diuretic and analgesic
activities of aqueous and 80% methanol extracts of the rhizomes of the plant at
different doses in mice.
To this effect, negative controls were orally treated with distilled water (DW) or
Tween 80(4%) (TW80), solvents used for reconstitution of the extracts. Positive
controls were treated with furosemide (10 mglkg) (FrIO) for diuretic test or aspirin
(100 mg/kg) (ASA100) and morphine (10 mg/kg) (MIO) for acetic acid-induced
writhing and hot-plate analgesic studies, respectively. For the diuretic study, treatment
groups received an oral dose of SOO mgikg (RASOO), 7S0 mglkg (RA7S0) or 1000
mg/kg (RA1000) of the aqueous extract or 2S0 mglkg (RM2S0), SOO mg/kg (RMSOO)
or 7S0 mglkg (RM7S0) of 80% methanolic extract. Urine volume was then measured
at different time (1,2, 3, 4, and S h) and the urinary Na+, K+ and cr also measured at S
h. For both analgesic tests, 2S0 mglkg (RM2S0), SOO mg/kg (RMSOO) or 1000 mglkg
(RM1000) of 80% methanolic extract doses were used. Whereas the number of
writhes was counted for 20 min just S min after intraperitonial injection of 0.6% acetic
acid (O.lS mLilOg) for the writhing test, the reaction time of each mouse was
evaluated at 30, 4S, 60, and 90 min after treatment for the hot-plate test. For the acute
toxicity study, SOOO mglkg of aqueous or 80% methanolic extract was administered
orally and observed for the following IS days.
Both extracts displayed a clear dose-dependent diuretic and analgesic effect as
compared to controls. RA1000 and RM7S0 were able to increase diuresis significantly
(P<O.OOl) compared to controls. Both extracts also increased urinary excretion of
electrolytes, with RAIOOO producing an increase by S6.9, S4.9 and 93.6% (P<O.OOl)
and RM7S0 increasing by 78.9, 99.S and 76.3% (P<O.OOI) of Na+, K+ and cr,
respectively, compared to controls. The diuretic and saluretic effects of the extracts
were also found to be qualitatively similar to that of FrIO. RM1000 was noted to
reduce the number of acetic acid-induced writhing by 67.6% (P<O.OOl) compared to
controls and this effect was comparable to that of ASAIOO (72.36%, P<O.OOJ).
RM1000 also conferred more than 70% protection against thermally-induced pain
stimuli after 4S min of treatment compared to controls. The extracts did not show
oveli toxicity in mice in the study period.
In conclusion, the extracts had been shown to exert diuretic and analgesic activities
comparable to that of the standard drugs and to be relatively safe. Hence, they could
be considered as a potential alternative diuretic and analgesic agent. Moreover, the
study lends suppoli to the ethnobotenical use of the plant as diuretic and analgesic in
different parts of Ethiopia.
Keywords: Rumex abyssinicus Jacq, Diuretic effect, Saluretic effect, Analgesic
activity, Acetic acid-induced writhing test, Hot-plate test. .
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Evaluation of the Diuretic, Analgesic Activities of the Rhizomes