Evaluation of the gastrointestinal anti-motility effect of Anacardium occidentale stem bark extract: A mechanistic study of antidiarrheal activity

Abstract

Diarrhea is a prevalent gastrointestinal problem associated with fatal implications. It is a huge public health concern that requires better alternatives to current drugs. This study investigated the mechanisms involved in the antidiarrheal activity of Anacardium occidentale (Ao) stem bark extract, a plant commonly used in the management of diarrhea in Nigeria. Methanolic stem bark extract of the plant was partitioned into three fractions: hexane fraction, ethyl acetate fraction (AoEF) and methanol fraction. In vitro studies on the effect of these fractions on guinea pig ileum (GPI) strips, as well as the modulatory effect of AoEF on standard agonists- and antagonists-induced GPI contraction and relaxation, revealed AoEF as the most active fraction. In vivo studies to assess the effect of AoEF on the dopaminergic, muscarinic, and serotonergic pathways were carried out using gastric emptying (GE) and gastrointestinal transit (GT) as experimental end points. AoEF was subjected to GC-MS analysis, while the identified compounds were docked with the muscarinic acetylcholine receptor M3 (CHRM3) using AutodockVina. Results indicated that AoEF inhibited GE and GT via inhibition of CHRM3. In addition, GC-MS analysis revealed the presence of 24 compounds in AoEF, while docking indicated that octadecanoic acid 2-(2-hydroxylethoxy) ethyl ester exhibited the highest binding affinity to CHRM3. This study indicated that the antidiarrheal activity of Ao is through its antimotility effect via the inhibition of the muscarinic pathway. And since none of the identified compounds exhibited higher binding affinity to CHRM3 relative to loperamide, the antimotility activity of these phytoconstituents may be via synergism.

Caatinga: barn of antioxidant and nutraceutical bio-actives

“…Fruit residue and Bark Stalk (Goulart da Silva et al, 2021a;Omolaso et al, 2020a) Anxiolytic, Anticonvulsant, Neuroprotective Anacardic Acid, Agastiflavone, Phenolics and Flavonoids Leaves and Chestnut (Gomes Júnior et al, 2018a;Junsathian et al, 2018;Luiz Gomes et al, 2018a;Velagapudi et al, 2018a) Arachis hypogaea…”

“…From the cashew processing, four byproducts sources of bioactive compounds can be obtained, i) raw nuts, ii) cashew grains, iii) apple-shaped stems (cashew apples) and the residue after juice extraction, and iv) the cashew nut shell liquid (CNSL) (Braga et al, 2021a). The identification and isolation of phytochemicals from these sources can be therapeutic alternatives for pathologies such as cancer (de Oliveira , periodontitis (Souza Filho et al, 2018b), diarrheal conditions (Omolaso et al, 2020a), neurodegenerative diseases (Junsathian et al, 2018;Velagapudi et al, 2018a) and enzyme inhibitor (Amorim et al, 2018).…”

“…The anacardic acid, cardol, cardanol, and methylcardo, mainly isolated from nuts and CNSL, are among the primary compounds with the biological activities mentioned (Braga et al, 2021b;M. Q. de Souza et al, 2018a;Gomes Júnior et al, 2018a;Goulart da Silva et al, 2021b;Luiz Gomes et al, 2018a;M Ashraf & Rathinasamy, 2018a;Omolaso et al, 2020b;Taiwo et al, 2017). Compounds like Gallic acid, Ellagic acid, Shikimic acid, phosphoric acid, and benzoic acid, known for their potential antioxidants, are found preferentially in the leaves and flowers of cashew trees (A. S. Sunderam et al, 2019).…”

Production of potential antioxidant and antimicrobial active films of poly (vinyl alcohol) incorporated with cashew tree extract

“…The cashew tree is widely used as an herbal medicine, being highlighted in its use to fight against toothaches, bronchitis, arthritis, intestinal cramps, jaundice, diabetes, and asthma, besides being used as an anti‐inflammatory drug and having antioxidant properties (Jaiswal et al, 2017; Omolaso et al, 2021; Silva et al, 2007; Sunderam et al, 2019). Some studies on essential oils and extracts of cashew trees point to their potential to inhibit the microorganisms of the species Staphylococcus aureus (Pereira et al, 2015).…”

Micromorphology and Chemical Studies on Anacardium occidentale L. Stem Bark as an Herbal Medicine

“…In addition, different parts of this plant species are used in traditional herbal preparations (THPs). The bark is used for a wide range of therapeutic purposes, namely to treat external and internal wounds, stomachache, cough, toothaches, diarrhea, hypertension, diabetes, hemorrhoids, and sexual dysfunction [ 1 , 13 , 14 , 15 ] during all seasons. However, the false fruits only occur during the fructification time, so it is difficult to distinguish the various types of plants outside that period [ 10 ].…”