Toxicological evaluation of aqueous extract of Aloe ferox Mill. in loperamide-induced constipated rats

Abstract

<jats:p> Aloe ferox Mill. is a widely used medicinal plant in South Africa for the treatment of many ailments including constipation. The present study evaluated the toxicological effect of aqueous leaf extract of the herb at 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg body weight for 7 days on the haematological parameters as well as liver and kidney function indices in loperamide—induced constipated rats. The extract did not cause any significant (p &gt; 0.05) effect on the kidney and liver—body weight ratio as well as the kidney function indices including serum levels of creatinine, uric acid, urea, calcium and potassium ions at all the dosages investigated. Whereas the serum levels of total protein, albumin, bilirubin and gamma glutamyl trasferase (GGT) were not affected, the elevated activities of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST) in the untreated constipated animals were normalized following treatment with extract. The data obtained with respect to the haematological analysis indicated that the extracts had no significant (p &gt; 0.05) effect on the haematological parameters with the exception of lymphocyte count which was increased in the untreated constipated rats. This was however attenuated after administering the herb. The available evidence in this study suggests that A. ferox may be safe as an oral remedy for constipation. Generally, the effect of the extract compared favourably well with senokot, a recommended drug for the treatment of constipation. </jats:p>

Toxicological implications and laxative potential of ethanol root extract ofMorella serratain loperamide-induced constipated Wistar rats

“…The reduction in these indices may be direct consequences of the significant decreases in the feed and water intakes resulting from loperamide exposure. This agrees with the report of Wintola et al (2010aWintola et al ( , 2010b, where reduced faecal features in drug-treated rats were attributed to loss of appetite and sharp reduction in the feeding patterns resulting from accumulated faecal pellets in the gastrointestinal tract. Conversely, the concentration-dependent reversion in the faecal properties following treatment with ethanol root extract of M. serrata is suggestive of its laxative potential.…”

“…the application of these plants rested largely on the assumption that they are safe and devoid of side effects (Wintola et al 2010a(Wintola et al , 2010b. Accordingly, limitations on the general acceptability of herbal medicines due to lack of standardized chemical characterization, dosage regimen and substantial toxicity profile to ascertain their safety needs concerted attention (Pousset 1988).…”

Biochemical Parameters in Toxicological Studies in Africa

“…(Aspodelaceae) 0.05À0.2; aqueous leaves extract.7-days study (Rat) South Africa Safe: AST a , ALT a , ALP a , GGT a , TP a , ALB a , TBL a , BUN a , CRE a , UA a , K 1a , Ca 21a[182].…”

Comparative pharmacokinetics of rhein in normal and loperamide-induced constipated rats and microarray analysis of drug-metabolizing genes

“…(For interpretation of the references to color in this figure legend, the reader is referred to the web version of this article.) (Shimotoyodome et al, 2000;Wintola et al, 2010Wintola et al, , 2011 (Kakino et al, 2010;Kakino et al, 2012;Kim et al, 2013;Meite et al, 2010;Wintola et al, 2010Wintola et al, , 2011Wu et al, 2010;Wu et al, 2011), though there is limited information on the pharmacokinetics of aqueous plant extracts or traditional Chinese formula under constipated conditions. Additionally, investigations on the comparative pharmacokinetic profiles of drugs with the various body conditions have been reported (Dai et al, 2014;Feng et al, 2013;Han et al, 2013;Zhu et al, 2014).…”

“…These results indicated that the loperamide inhibits intestinal water secretion and colonic peristalsis. This inhibition extends fecal evacuation time and delays intestinal luminal transit (Shimotoyodome et al, 2000;Wintola et al, 2010Wintola et al, , 2011. In order to investigate whether pharmacokinetic profiling of rhein is be altered under constipation, the pharmacokinetics of rhein in normal and constipated rats was investigated.…”