Antidiarrhoeic Activity ofEuphorbia hirtaExtract and Isolation of an Active Flavonoid Constituent

Abstract

The antidiarrhoeic activity of the Euphorbia hirta whole plant was investigated. The lyophilized decoction demonstrated antidiarrhoeic activity in experimental models of diarrhoea induced by castor oil, arachidonic acid, and prostaglandin E2. It showed no activity when magnesium sulphate was used to provoke the diarrhoea. The lyophilized decoction delayed small intestinal transit when this was accelerated by castor oil but not in normal conditions. A flavonoid, quercitrin, with antidiarrhoeic activity was isolated from this crude drug.

Additional antiprotozoal flavonol glycosides of the aerial parts of Helianthemum glomeratum

“…It has been speculated that the antidiarrhoeic properties are a consequence of their inhibitory effects on protozoa, bacteria and intestinal peristalsis as demonstrated by in vitro and in vivo tests. Quercitrin isolated from Euphorbia hirta was able to reduce experimental diarrhoea in rats induced by castor oil, lactose, arachidonic acid and prostaglandin E2 (Galvez et al, 1993;. Isoquercitrin and quercitrin obtained from Psidium guajava showed a spasmolytic effect on guinea-pig ileum (Morales et al, 1994).…”

Antidiarrhoeal property of the hydroethanolic extract of the flowering tops of Anthocephalus cadamba

“…Values are expressed as mean ± SEM, n = 5; **Signifi cant relative to control (p < 0.05). of endogenous prostaglandin (Galvez et al, 1993). Loperamide, apart from regulating the gastrointestinal tract, is also reported to slow down transit in the small intestine, reduce colon fl ow rate, and consequently any effect on colonic motility (Theoderau et al, 1991;Salgado et al, 2005).…”

“…Previous studies showed that antidysenteric and antidiarrhoeal properties of medicinal plants were mostly due to tannins, alkaloids, saponins, fl avonoids, sterol and triterpenes (Galvez et al, 1991(Galvez et al, , 1993Longanga et al, 2000).…”

Ethnopharmacological evaluation of Cenchrus ciliaris for multiple gastrointestinal disorders

“…The results showed that the crude ethanolic extract significantly inhibited the induced diarrhea in rats. Castor oil produce diarrheal effect by various previously explained mechanisms including a) intestinal Na + K + ATPase activity inhibited, hence reduced the normal fluid absorption (Gaginella and Bass, 1978), b) initiation of adenylate cyclase/cAMP-mediated active secretion , c) formation of prostaglandins (Galvez et al, 1993), and d) platelet activating factor (PAF) (Pinto et al, 1992). Other studies claimed the contribution of nitric oxide to the diarrheal effect of castor oil Mascolo et al, 1996).…”