Anti-Diarrheal Activity of Medicinal Plant Growing in Jizan Province (KSA) on Wistar Rats

 

M Ali^1,2,*, Ezzat A Genady¹, Sarfaraz Ahmad¹,  MS Alam¹, SA Khan³, SAH Abdi⁴, MS Harsoliya⁵

¹College of Pharmacy, Jazan University, P.O. Box. 114, Jazan - 45142, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).

²Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Hamdard University, New Delhi, India-110062.

³Department of Pharmacy, Oman Medical College, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman, Oman - 130.

⁴Departments of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Hamdard University, New Delhi, India-110062.

 

ABSTRACT:

Gastrointestinal complaints and pathogenic factors are the main leading causes of diarrhea. Although WHO and UNICEF are jointly working on the disease and the role of herbals and other natural products are very promising approach along with conventional methods. The present work is the evaluation of anti-diarrheal potential of traditionally used plant in Jizan province of Saudi Arabia. The lower and higher (200mg/kg bw, 400 mg/kg bw) dose of the alcoholic extracts of the plant Alkanna orientalis  were used and the results were compared with the standard Loperamide drug and the higher dose 400mg/kg bw was found significant in the rat models where diarrhea was induced by castor oil administration.

 

 

 

1. INTRODUCTION:

Diarrhea is curable and preventable disease as the most important health problem in developing countries [1] with the fact of being the second leading cause of death after pneumonia among children under five years of age worldwide [2]. The disease is caused by the pathogens [3] and as the common gastrointestinal complaints often reported as adverse drug reactions [4], clinically referred as increased liquidity of stool and frequency [5]. World health organization (WHO) and UNICEF jointly mentioned in their report about two billion cases of diarrheal disease globally and mostly in developing countries every year [6]. The southern region of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia is known to have a long range of medicinal flora which has been in the traditional practice to cure the disease and several ailments since ancient times. Herbal medicine has long been known as one of the oldest mode of treatment adopted by human beings worldwide [7] and they believe on traditional healing practices and medicinal plants for their cure in spite of the advancement in modern medicine [8] [9].

 

The effort of International health organizations for modern medicines are not kind enough to combat the incidence of diarrhea that’s why it is the need of time to identify and evaluate available natural drugs as alternate tool to presently used anti-diarrheal drugs which are associated with several adverse effects. A range of medicinal plants have been reported to be used in  treating and managing diarrheal diseases [10] widely used by traditional healers [11]. Alkanna orientalis (L) Boiss. is a yellow – green perennial herb belongs to the family Boraginaceae which is known to contain pyrrolizidine alkaloids [12]. The phytochemical screening of the aerial parts shows the presence of flavonoids, tannins, sterols, triterpines and volatile oils. Although a lot of work has not been carried out on this plant but it bears a long history to be used in folk medicine for the treatment of ulcus cruris and wound healing [13]. The present work deals with the exploration of the plant to posses its anti-diarrheal potential from the leaves.

 

2. MATERIALS AND METHODS:

2.1 Preparation of extracts:

The leaves of Alkanna orientalis were collected from the Farasan Island (A southern region of Saudi Arabia in Jizan province). These leaves were washed with distilled water and allowed for shade dried purpose. The dried leaves were powdered and kept for cold maceration with pure ethanol in a big size china dish of 500 ml capacity. The maceration was carried out for three days and the level of ethanol was maintained at every 12 hours. At the last day the ethanolic extract was filtered out and dried in a vacuum desiccator and stored in an air tight container for further use.

 

2.2    Phytochemical  screening:

The ethanolic extract of the leaves of Alkanna orientalis was evaluated for the presence of alkaloids, glycosides, flavonoids, tannins and triterpenes by using methods described by Brain and Turner [14].

 

2.3    Anti-diarrheal study:

The animal model swiss wistar rats (150-200g) of either sex were obtained from the animal house unit of the Jazan university. They were housed in polypropylene cages under standard laboratory conditions and were fed with available standard pellet diet and distilled water. Food was withdrawn 20-24 h before the activity though free access to water ad libitum . The activity protocol was designed as described by Rajan et al. [11]. Animals were divided into four groups of 6 rats in each group. Group I : Normal Castor oil control; Group II : Castor oil + Loperamide;  Group III: Castor oil + 200 mg/kg ethanolic extract; Group IV: Castor oil + 400 mg/kg ethanolic extract.

 

2.4    Effect of extract on castor oil induced diarrhea:

As per the activity schedule all the four groups were given castor oil at a dose of 1 ml per animal orally approximately half an hour later of standard drug and extract doses. The first group was given normal saline and castor oil and the second group was administered loperamide 2mg/kg of the body weight. The third and fourth groups were administered alcoholic extract of leaves of Alkanna orientalis (200 mg/kg b.w. and 400 mg/kg b.w. respectively). Filter papers were used in all polypropylene cages and were subjected to change at every hour. The number of diarrheal faeces and total faeces were noted down on record for a period of 72 hours. The total number of diarrheal faeces of castor oil control group was considered as 100 percent to compare the results of other groups.  

3. RESULTS:

Both the doses extracts from Alkanna orientalis leaf showed the acceptable protective results in castor oil induced diarrhea. The higher dose of alcoholic extract 400mg/kg bw  showed the significant percentage (p< 0.01 ) inhibition of the total diarrheal faeces. Although standard drug loperamide has its own stand in efficacy but the extract doses effectiveness showed the satisfactory correlation among the groups.

 

4. DISCUSSION:

A Global Action Plan for Prevention and Control of Pneumonia and Diarrhea was issued jointly by UNICEF and WHO in April 2013. Although this plan sets the goals to reduce the number of deaths and the incidence of diarrhea by 2025 [15] but specific vaccines or anti-diarrheal agents are still out of reach to protect several pathogens such as Shigella and Escherichia coli, hence more research is needed to develop the new specific vaccines or disease targeting pharmaceuticals including ones against drug - resistant strains to be abstain from the side effects of existing modern medicines. Alkanna orientalis has also been reported to have antimicrobial properties against several strains of pathogens, So its dual mode of action to control over pathogens and intestinal motility could be a tool to be benefited for the claimed objective.

 

 

5. CONCLUSION:

The results of this present research assures that Alkanna orientalis leaves contains bioactive phytoconstituents with antidiarrheal properties. This positive approach proved a better rationale for the use of this plant in diarrheoa management by Jizani (Arabs) traditional healers. Further research is being envisaged to have fractions of this extract and isolate the specific bioactive principle molecule(s) solely accountable for the antidiarrheal activity.

 

Table 1: Effect of alcoholic extracts of Alkanna orientalis  on castor oil induced diarrhea in Wistar rats.

* p< 0.05, ** p< 0.01 vs control group. (n = 6)

 

 

6. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:

The corresponding author (Dr. M Ali) acknowledge the support of the local native of Farasan Island who disclosed and provide  their traditional plant for the research purpose.

 

7. CONFLICT OF INTEREST:

We all authors declare no conflict of interest.

 

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Received on 29.10.2014          Modified on 12.11.2014

Accepted on 17.11.2014         © RJPT All right reserved