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Anti-diarrhoeal activity of the latex of Calotropis procera
Journal of Ethnopharmacology 76 (2001) 115– 118 www.elsevier.com/locate/jethpharm
Short communication
Anti-diarrhoeal activity of the latex of Calotropis procera Suresh Kumar, S. Dewan, H. Sangraula, V.L. Kumar * Department of Pharmacology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Ansari Nagar, New Delhi 110 029, India Received 31 July 2000; received in revised form 31 January 2001; accepted 13 February 2001
Abstract The dry latex (DL) of Calotropis procera (Asclepiadaceae), a potent anti-inflammatory agent has been evaluated for anti-diarrhoeal activity. Like atropine and phenylbutazone (PBZ), a single oral dose of DL (500 mg/kg) produced a significant decrease in frequency of defecation, severity of diarrhoea and afforded protection from diarrhoea in 80% rats treated with castor oil. To understand the mechanism of its anti-diarrhoeal activity, we further evaluated its effect on intestinal transit, castor oil induced intestinal fluid accumulation (enteropooling) and electrolyte concentration in the intestinal fluid. DL produced a decrease in intestinal transit (27–37%) as compared to both normal and castor oil treated animals. Unlike atropine, DL significantly inhibited castor oil induced enteropooling. However, it did not alter the electrolyte concentration in the intestinal fluid as compared to castor oil treated rats. © 2001 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Calotropis procera; Medicinal plant; Latex; Anti-diarrahoeal
1. Introduction Calotropis procera (Ait.) R. Br. (Asclepiadaceae), a widely growing plant has been reported to possess numerous medicinal properties. Different parts as well as its latex have been used as emetic, purgative and anthelmintic (Kirtikar and Basu, 1935). By virtue of its ability to contract smooth muscles of gastrointestinal tract it exhibits spasmogenic and carminative properties (Sharma, 1934). Its flowers possess digestive and tonic properties. On the contrary, the powdered root bark has been reported to give relief in diarrhoea and dysentry (The Wealth of India, 1992). The earlier work has demonstrated potent anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antipyretic activities in the latex of C. procera (Kumar and Basu, 1994; Dewan et al., 2000a,b). Drugs possessing anti-inflammatory activity have been shown to delay castor oil induced diarrhoea, thereby suggesting the involvement of prostaglandins in this mechanism (Awouters et al., 1978; Uchida et al., 1997). The present
study was designed to evaluate the effect of latex of C. procera on castor oil induced diarrhoea.
2. Materials and methods The latex was collected from the aerial parts of C. procera growing in the wild. The plant was identified by the Raw Materials, Herbarium and Museum Division, Publication and Information Directorate, CSIR, New Delhi, where a voucher specimen is preserved (Voucher No. PID 1739). The latex was dried under shade at ambient temperature. The dry latex (DL) was triturated with gum acacia (1:1) in normal saline, filtered and administered orally at a dose of 500 mg/kg to adult male Wistar rats weighing 150 –190 g. The animals placed individually in specially designed perforated cages were fasted overnight but had free access to water.
2.1. Castor oil induced diarrhoea * Corresponding author. Tel.: + 91-11-6593681; fax: +91-116862663. E-mail address: [email protected] (V.L. Kumar).
Rats were divided into four groups of eight animals each. Diarrhoea was induced by administering 1 ml of
0378-8741/01/$ - see front matter © 2001 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. PII: S 0 3 7 8 - 8 7 4 1 ( 0 1 ) 0 0 2 1 9 - 7
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S. Kumar et al. / Journal of Ethnopharmacology 76 (2001) 115–118
castor oil orally to rats. Group 1 served as control, group 2, 3 and 4 received atropine (0.1 mg/kg, i.p.), phenylbutazone (PBZ; 100 mg/kg orally) and DL respectively 1 h before castor oil administration. The number of both dry and wet diarrhoeal droppings were counted every hour for a period of 4 h. Mean number of the stools passed by the treated groups was compared with that of control. The number of animals protected from diarrhoea was also analysed in each group (Awouters et al., 1978).
2.2. Castor oil induced enteropooling and electrolyte secretion Intraluminal fluid accumulation was determined by the method of Robert et al. (1976). Rats were divided into four groups of six animals each. Group 1 received 2 ml of normal saline, group 2 received 2 ml of castor oil, group 3 and 4 received atropine (0.1 mg/kg, i.p.) and DL respectively 1 h before the oral administration of castor oil. Two hours later the rats were sacrificed, the small intestine was removed after tying the ends with thread and weighed. The intestinal contents were collected by milking into a graduated tube and their volume was measured. The intestine was reweighed and the difference between full and empty intestines was calculated. The Na+ and K+ concentrations were analysed in the intraluminal fluid by flame photometry.
2.3. Small intestinal transit Rats were divided into four groups of six animals each. Group 1 received 2 ml normal saline, group 2 received 2 ml of castor oil, group 3 and 4 received atropine (0.1 mg/kg i.p.) and DL respectively 1 h before oral administration of castor oil. One ml of a marker (10% charcoal suspension in 5% gum acacia) was administered orally 1 h after castor oil treatment. The rats were sacrificed after 1 h and the distance travelled by charcoal from the pylorus was measured and expressed as a percentage of the total length of the intestine from the pylorus to caecum (Mascolo et al., 1994). The data were analysed using Student’s t-test.
3. Results DL of C. procera produced a marked anti-diarrhoeal effect in rats. DL significantly decreased the total number of stools passed (2.29 0.7) as compared to the castor oil treated control group (6.89 0.8). The effect of DL was comparable to that of PBZ (1.89 0.8). Atropine at a dose of 0.1 mg/kg, i.p. produced a marked anti-diarrhoeal effect (1.090.6) (Table 1).
Besides decreasing the number of stools passed, DL also afforded protection against the castor oil induced diarrhoea. The effect of castor oil was discernible at 2 h when 40% animals showed diarrhoea and by fourth hour 80% of rats showed diarrhoea. DL delayed the onset of diarrhoea and only 20% rats showed diarrhoea at third and fourth hour. The effect of atropine and PBZ was comparable and only 20–25% rats showed diarrhoea at fourth hour (Fig. 1). DL was also found to possess anti-enteropooling activity. Oral administration of castor oil produced a significant increase in the intestinal fluid (2.690.2 ml) as compared to normal rats (1.29 0.1 ml). DL, when given orally 1 h before castor oil, significantly inhibited the enteropooling (1.39 0.1 ml; P B 0.001) and the volume of intestinal fluid was comparable to that obtained in normal group (1.29 0.13) (Table 2). The weight of intestinal content was also obtained by subtracting the weight of empty intestine from that of full intestine. The weight of intestinal content also significantly increased following treatment with castor oil (2.99 0.2 vs. 1.1090.01 g in normal rats). However, DL produced a marginal decrease in the weight of intestinal content. The secretions were more viscous and the intestinal wall was thinner. DL also decreased the propulsion of charcoal meal through gastrointestinal tract when compared to the normal and castor oil treated rats. The percentage of intestinal length traversed by charcoal meal in DL pretreated, normal and castor oil treated rats was 63.29 4.8, 99.49 0.6 and 87.19 7.5, respectively. Atropine on the other hand, produced a marked decrease in the propulsive movements and the intestinal length traversed by charcoal meal was 23.393.1%. Treatment of rats with castor oil significantly increased the Na+ concentration to 11.89 0.7 mEq/l as compared to the control group (7.29 0.6 mEq/l). DL as well as atropine pretreatment did not alter the Na+ concentration in intestinal fluid as compared to the castor oil treated group. None of the treatments produced a significant change in the K+ concentration although it was low in atropine pretreated rats (Table 2).
Table 1 Effect of DL of Calotropis procera on castor oil induced diarrhoeaa Treatment
Mean defecation in 4 h
Castor Castor Castor Castor
6.8 90.8 1.0 90.6* 1.8 90.8* 2.2 90.7*
oil (1 ml p.o.) oil+Atropine (0.1 mg/kg i.p.) oil+PBZ (100 mg/kg p.o.) oil+DL (500 mg/kg p.o.)
a Results are mean 9S.E.M., n = 8. * PB0.01.
S. Kumar et al. / Journal of Ethnopharmacology 76 (2001) 115–118
117
Fig. 1. Protective effect of DL of Calotropis procera against castor oil induced diarrhoea.
Table 2 Effect of DL of Calotropis procera on castor oil induced enteropooling and electrolyte concentration in intestinal fluida Treatment
Intestinal transit (%)
Wt. of GI content (g) Volume of GI content (ml)
Na+ (mEq/l)
K+ (mEq/l)
Control (saline 2 ml p.o.) Castor oil (2 ml p.o.) CO+Atropine (0.1 mg/kg i.p.) CO+DL (500 mg/kg p.o.)
99.49 0.6 87.19 7.5 23.39 3.1*** 63.2 9 4.8**
1.1 90.01 2.99 0.2* 3.4 90.8 2.2 9 0.4
7.2 90.6 11.8 90.7* 12.5 91.4 10.8 90.7
36.5 94.2 34.2 93.4 25.2 9 3.8 35.2 91.1
1.2 9 0.1 2.6 9 0.2* 3.0 9 0.6 1.3 90.1***
CO, castor oil; Results are mean 9S.E.M. * PB0.001 vs. control. ** PB0.05 vs. castor oil. *** PB0.001 vs. castor oil.
a
4. Discussion DL of C. procera produced a statistically significant reduction in the frequency and severity of diarrhoea produced by castor oil. DL delayed the onset of diarrhoea and a larger number of rats (80%) were protected against the castor oil induced diarrhoea. The protection afforded by DL was similar to that of PBZ and atropine where 75– 80% animals were protected. Delay in castor oil induced diarrhoea is a characteristic feature of NSAIDs including PBZ (Awouters et al., 1978). Like PBZ, DL has also been shown to possess potent anti-inflammatory activity (Kumar and Basu, 1994). Castor oil releases recinolic acid which induces changes in mucosal fluid and electrolyte transport that
results in a hypersecretory response and diarrhoea (Ammon et al., 1974; Gaginella et al., 1975). It is interesting to note that DL significantly inhibited the castor oil induced intestinal fluid accumulation (enteropooling) and the volume of intestinal content was equivalent to that of normal rats. The intestinal content was more viscous in DL treated rats. It is quite possible that the viscosity of secretions is increased by DL possibly due to effect on intestinal transit which was slower than the normal and castor oil treated animals. However, the intestinal transit was not significantly different in normal saline and castor oil treated groups. This has earlier been reported by Stewart et al. (1975). In this study atropine produced a significant reduction in the number of stools and increased intestinal transit time possibly due to its anticholinergic effect (Brown
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S. Kumar et al. / Journal of Ethnopharmacology 76 (2001) 115–118
and Taylor, 1996). However, it did not inhibit castor oil induced enteropooling and gain in weight of intestinal content suggesting thereby that mediators other than acetylcholine are involved in castor oil induced enteropooling. Further, an increase in intestinal transit time with atropine could also result due to reduction in gastric emptying (Izzo et al., 1999). In summary, the results indicate that DL of C. procera possesses significant anti-diarrhoeal activity due to its inhibitory effect both on gastrointestinal propulsion and fluid secretion.
Acknowledgements We are thankful to Mr R.C. Bansal, Renal Lab, AIIMS for carrying out the electrolyte analysis. We are also thankful to SG Pharmaceuticals for providing phenylbutazone and Rekitt & Colman for providing aspirin. References Ammon, H.V., Thomas, P.J., Phillips, S., 1974. Effect of oleic and recinoleic acid on net jejunal water and electrolyte movement. Journal of Clinical Investigation 53, 374 –379. Awouters, F., Niemegeers, C.J.E., Lenaerts, F.M., Janssen, P.A.J., 1978. Delay of castor oil diarrhoea in rats: a new way to evaluate inhibitors of prostaglandin biosynthesis. Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology 30, 41 –45. Brown, J.H., Taylor, P., 1996. Muscarinic receptor agonists and antagonist. In: Hardman, J.G., Limbird, L.E. (Eds.), Goodman and Gilman’s the Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics, 9th edition. Macgrow Hill, New York.
.
Dewan, S., Sangraula, H., Kumar, V.L., 2000a. Preliminary studies on the analgesic activity of latex of Calotropis procera. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 73, 307 – 311. Dewan, S., Kumar, S., Kumar, V.L., 2000b. Antipyretic effect of latex of Calotropis procera. Indian Journal of Pharmacology 32, 252. Gaginella, T.S., Stewart, J.J., Olsen, W.A., Bass, P., 1975. Action of recinoleic acid and structurally related fatty acid on the gastrointestinal tract. II. Effect on water a electrolyte absorption in-vitro. Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutic 195, 355 – 361. Izzo, A.A., Mascolo, N., Capasso, R., Germano, M.P., De Pasquale, R., Capasso, F., 1999. Inibitory effect of cannabinoid agonists on gastric emptying in the rat. Archieves of Pharmacology 360, 221 – 223. Kirtikar, K.R., Basu, B.D., 1935. Indian Medicinal Plants. Lolit Mohan Basu, Allahabad, p. 1606. Kumar, V.L., Basu, N., 1994. Anti-inflammatory activity of the latex of Calotropis procera. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 44, 123 – 125. Mascolo, N., Izzo, A.A., Autore, G., Barbato, F., Capasso, F., 1994. Nitric oxide and Castor-oil induced diarrhoea. Journal of Pharmacology and Eperimental Therapeutics 268, 291 – 295. Robert, A., Nezamis, J.E., Lancaster, C., Hanchar, A.J., Klepper, M.S., 1976. Enteropooling assay: a test for diarrhoea produced by prostaglandins. Prostaglandins 11, 809 – 828. Sharma, G.K., 1934. Calotropis procera and Calotropis gigantia. Indian Journal of Veterinary Sciences 4, 63 – 74. Stewart, J.J., Gaginella, T.S., Olsen, W.A., Bass, P., 1975. Inhibitory actions of laxatives on motility and water and electrolyte transport in the gastrointestinal tract. Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics 192, 458 – 467. Uchida, M., Matsueda, K., Kato, Y., Shoda, R., Yamato, S., Muraoka, A., 1997. Involvement of nitric oxide, which was synthesized by constitutive nitric oxide synthase, and prostaglandin on diarrhoea induced by castor oil in rats. Nippon Yakurigaku Zasshi 110, 77 – 82. The Wealth of India, 1992. Raw Materials. Publication and Information Directorate, CSIR, New Delhi, vol. 3, pp. 78 – 84.
Short communication
Anti-diarrhoeal activity of the latex of Calotropis procera Suresh Kumar, S. Dewan, H. Sangraula, V.L. Kumar * Department of Pharmacology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Ansari Nagar, New Delhi 110 029, India Received 31 July 2000; received in revised form 31 January 2001; accepted 13 February 2001
Abstract The dry latex (DL) of Calotropis procera (Asclepiadaceae), a potent anti-inflammatory agent has been evaluated for anti-diarrhoeal activity. Like atropine and phenylbutazone (PBZ), a single oral dose of DL (500 mg/kg) produced a significant decrease in frequency of defecation, severity of diarrhoea and afforded protection from diarrhoea in 80% rats treated with castor oil. To understand the mechanism of its anti-diarrhoeal activity, we further evaluated its effect on intestinal transit, castor oil induced intestinal fluid accumulation (enteropooling) and electrolyte concentration in the intestinal fluid. DL produced a decrease in intestinal transit (27–37%) as compared to both normal and castor oil treated animals. Unlike atropine, DL significantly inhibited castor oil induced enteropooling. However, it did not alter the electrolyte concentration in the intestinal fluid as compared to castor oil treated rats. © 2001 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Calotropis procera; Medicinal plant; Latex; Anti-diarrahoeal
1. Introduction Calotropis procera (Ait.) R. Br. (Asclepiadaceae), a widely growing plant has been reported to possess numerous medicinal properties. Different parts as well as its latex have been used as emetic, purgative and anthelmintic (Kirtikar and Basu, 1935). By virtue of its ability to contract smooth muscles of gastrointestinal tract it exhibits spasmogenic and carminative properties (Sharma, 1934). Its flowers possess digestive and tonic properties. On the contrary, the powdered root bark has been reported to give relief in diarrhoea and dysentry (The Wealth of India, 1992). The earlier work has demonstrated potent anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antipyretic activities in the latex of C. procera (Kumar and Basu, 1994; Dewan et al., 2000a,b). Drugs possessing anti-inflammatory activity have been shown to delay castor oil induced diarrhoea, thereby suggesting the involvement of prostaglandins in this mechanism (Awouters et al., 1978; Uchida et al., 1997). The present
study was designed to evaluate the effect of latex of C. procera on castor oil induced diarrhoea.
2. Materials and methods The latex was collected from the aerial parts of C. procera growing in the wild. The plant was identified by the Raw Materials, Herbarium and Museum Division, Publication and Information Directorate, CSIR, New Delhi, where a voucher specimen is preserved (Voucher No. PID 1739). The latex was dried under shade at ambient temperature. The dry latex (DL) was triturated with gum acacia (1:1) in normal saline, filtered and administered orally at a dose of 500 mg/kg to adult male Wistar rats weighing 150 –190 g. The animals placed individually in specially designed perforated cages were fasted overnight but had free access to water.
2.1. Castor oil induced diarrhoea * Corresponding author. Tel.: + 91-11-6593681; fax: +91-116862663. E-mail address: [email protected] (V.L. Kumar).
Rats were divided into four groups of eight animals each. Diarrhoea was induced by administering 1 ml of
0378-8741/01/$ - see front matter © 2001 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. PII: S 0 3 7 8 - 8 7 4 1 ( 0 1 ) 0 0 2 1 9 - 7
116
S. Kumar et al. / Journal of Ethnopharmacology 76 (2001) 115–118
castor oil orally to rats. Group 1 served as control, group 2, 3 and 4 received atropine (0.1 mg/kg, i.p.), phenylbutazone (PBZ; 100 mg/kg orally) and DL respectively 1 h before castor oil administration. The number of both dry and wet diarrhoeal droppings were counted every hour for a period of 4 h. Mean number of the stools passed by the treated groups was compared with that of control. The number of animals protected from diarrhoea was also analysed in each group (Awouters et al., 1978).
2.2. Castor oil induced enteropooling and electrolyte secretion Intraluminal fluid accumulation was determined by the method of Robert et al. (1976). Rats were divided into four groups of six animals each. Group 1 received 2 ml of normal saline, group 2 received 2 ml of castor oil, group 3 and 4 received atropine (0.1 mg/kg, i.p.) and DL respectively 1 h before the oral administration of castor oil. Two hours later the rats were sacrificed, the small intestine was removed after tying the ends with thread and weighed. The intestinal contents were collected by milking into a graduated tube and their volume was measured. The intestine was reweighed and the difference between full and empty intestines was calculated. The Na+ and K+ concentrations were analysed in the intraluminal fluid by flame photometry.
2.3. Small intestinal transit Rats were divided into four groups of six animals each. Group 1 received 2 ml normal saline, group 2 received 2 ml of castor oil, group 3 and 4 received atropine (0.1 mg/kg i.p.) and DL respectively 1 h before oral administration of castor oil. One ml of a marker (10% charcoal suspension in 5% gum acacia) was administered orally 1 h after castor oil treatment. The rats were sacrificed after 1 h and the distance travelled by charcoal from the pylorus was measured and expressed as a percentage of the total length of the intestine from the pylorus to caecum (Mascolo et al., 1994). The data were analysed using Student’s t-test.
3. Results DL of C. procera produced a marked anti-diarrhoeal effect in rats. DL significantly decreased the total number of stools passed (2.29 0.7) as compared to the castor oil treated control group (6.89 0.8). The effect of DL was comparable to that of PBZ (1.89 0.8). Atropine at a dose of 0.1 mg/kg, i.p. produced a marked anti-diarrhoeal effect (1.090.6) (Table 1).
Besides decreasing the number of stools passed, DL also afforded protection against the castor oil induced diarrhoea. The effect of castor oil was discernible at 2 h when 40% animals showed diarrhoea and by fourth hour 80% of rats showed diarrhoea. DL delayed the onset of diarrhoea and only 20% rats showed diarrhoea at third and fourth hour. The effect of atropine and PBZ was comparable and only 20–25% rats showed diarrhoea at fourth hour (Fig. 1). DL was also found to possess anti-enteropooling activity. Oral administration of castor oil produced a significant increase in the intestinal fluid (2.690.2 ml) as compared to normal rats (1.29 0.1 ml). DL, when given orally 1 h before castor oil, significantly inhibited the enteropooling (1.39 0.1 ml; P B 0.001) and the volume of intestinal fluid was comparable to that obtained in normal group (1.29 0.13) (Table 2). The weight of intestinal content was also obtained by subtracting the weight of empty intestine from that of full intestine. The weight of intestinal content also significantly increased following treatment with castor oil (2.99 0.2 vs. 1.1090.01 g in normal rats). However, DL produced a marginal decrease in the weight of intestinal content. The secretions were more viscous and the intestinal wall was thinner. DL also decreased the propulsion of charcoal meal through gastrointestinal tract when compared to the normal and castor oil treated rats. The percentage of intestinal length traversed by charcoal meal in DL pretreated, normal and castor oil treated rats was 63.29 4.8, 99.49 0.6 and 87.19 7.5, respectively. Atropine on the other hand, produced a marked decrease in the propulsive movements and the intestinal length traversed by charcoal meal was 23.393.1%. Treatment of rats with castor oil significantly increased the Na+ concentration to 11.89 0.7 mEq/l as compared to the control group (7.29 0.6 mEq/l). DL as well as atropine pretreatment did not alter the Na+ concentration in intestinal fluid as compared to the castor oil treated group. None of the treatments produced a significant change in the K+ concentration although it was low in atropine pretreated rats (Table 2).
Table 1 Effect of DL of Calotropis procera on castor oil induced diarrhoeaa Treatment
Mean defecation in 4 h
Castor Castor Castor Castor
6.8 90.8 1.0 90.6* 1.8 90.8* 2.2 90.7*
oil (1 ml p.o.) oil+Atropine (0.1 mg/kg i.p.) oil+PBZ (100 mg/kg p.o.) oil+DL (500 mg/kg p.o.)
a Results are mean 9S.E.M., n = 8. * PB0.01.
S. Kumar et al. / Journal of Ethnopharmacology 76 (2001) 115–118
117
Fig. 1. Protective effect of DL of Calotropis procera against castor oil induced diarrhoea.
Table 2 Effect of DL of Calotropis procera on castor oil induced enteropooling and electrolyte concentration in intestinal fluida Treatment
Intestinal transit (%)
Wt. of GI content (g) Volume of GI content (ml)
Na+ (mEq/l)
K+ (mEq/l)
Control (saline 2 ml p.o.) Castor oil (2 ml p.o.) CO+Atropine (0.1 mg/kg i.p.) CO+DL (500 mg/kg p.o.)
99.49 0.6 87.19 7.5 23.39 3.1*** 63.2 9 4.8**
1.1 90.01 2.99 0.2* 3.4 90.8 2.2 9 0.4
7.2 90.6 11.8 90.7* 12.5 91.4 10.8 90.7
36.5 94.2 34.2 93.4 25.2 9 3.8 35.2 91.1
1.2 9 0.1 2.6 9 0.2* 3.0 9 0.6 1.3 90.1***
CO, castor oil; Results are mean 9S.E.M. * PB0.001 vs. control. ** PB0.05 vs. castor oil. *** PB0.001 vs. castor oil.
a
4. Discussion DL of C. procera produced a statistically significant reduction in the frequency and severity of diarrhoea produced by castor oil. DL delayed the onset of diarrhoea and a larger number of rats (80%) were protected against the castor oil induced diarrhoea. The protection afforded by DL was similar to that of PBZ and atropine where 75– 80% animals were protected. Delay in castor oil induced diarrhoea is a characteristic feature of NSAIDs including PBZ (Awouters et al., 1978). Like PBZ, DL has also been shown to possess potent anti-inflammatory activity (Kumar and Basu, 1994). Castor oil releases recinolic acid which induces changes in mucosal fluid and electrolyte transport that
results in a hypersecretory response and diarrhoea (Ammon et al., 1974; Gaginella et al., 1975). It is interesting to note that DL significantly inhibited the castor oil induced intestinal fluid accumulation (enteropooling) and the volume of intestinal content was equivalent to that of normal rats. The intestinal content was more viscous in DL treated rats. It is quite possible that the viscosity of secretions is increased by DL possibly due to effect on intestinal transit which was slower than the normal and castor oil treated animals. However, the intestinal transit was not significantly different in normal saline and castor oil treated groups. This has earlier been reported by Stewart et al. (1975). In this study atropine produced a significant reduction in the number of stools and increased intestinal transit time possibly due to its anticholinergic effect (Brown
118
S. Kumar et al. / Journal of Ethnopharmacology 76 (2001) 115–118
and Taylor, 1996). However, it did not inhibit castor oil induced enteropooling and gain in weight of intestinal content suggesting thereby that mediators other than acetylcholine are involved in castor oil induced enteropooling. Further, an increase in intestinal transit time with atropine could also result due to reduction in gastric emptying (Izzo et al., 1999). In summary, the results indicate that DL of C. procera possesses significant anti-diarrhoeal activity due to its inhibitory effect both on gastrointestinal propulsion and fluid secretion.
Acknowledgements We are thankful to Mr R.C. Bansal, Renal Lab, AIIMS for carrying out the electrolyte analysis. We are also thankful to SG Pharmaceuticals for providing phenylbutazone and Rekitt & Colman for providing aspirin. References Ammon, H.V., Thomas, P.J., Phillips, S., 1974. Effect of oleic and recinoleic acid on net jejunal water and electrolyte movement. Journal of Clinical Investigation 53, 374 –379. Awouters, F., Niemegeers, C.J.E., Lenaerts, F.M., Janssen, P.A.J., 1978. Delay of castor oil diarrhoea in rats: a new way to evaluate inhibitors of prostaglandin biosynthesis. Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology 30, 41 –45. Brown, J.H., Taylor, P., 1996. Muscarinic receptor agonists and antagonist. In: Hardman, J.G., Limbird, L.E. (Eds.), Goodman and Gilman’s the Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics, 9th edition. Macgrow Hill, New York.
.
Dewan, S., Sangraula, H., Kumar, V.L., 2000a. Preliminary studies on the analgesic activity of latex of Calotropis procera. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 73, 307 – 311. Dewan, S., Kumar, S., Kumar, V.L., 2000b. Antipyretic effect of latex of Calotropis procera. Indian Journal of Pharmacology 32, 252. Gaginella, T.S., Stewart, J.J., Olsen, W.A., Bass, P., 1975. Action of recinoleic acid and structurally related fatty acid on the gastrointestinal tract. II. Effect on water a electrolyte absorption in-vitro. Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutic 195, 355 – 361. Izzo, A.A., Mascolo, N., Capasso, R., Germano, M.P., De Pasquale, R., Capasso, F., 1999. Inibitory effect of cannabinoid agonists on gastric emptying in the rat. Archieves of Pharmacology 360, 221 – 223. Kirtikar, K.R., Basu, B.D., 1935. Indian Medicinal Plants. Lolit Mohan Basu, Allahabad, p. 1606. Kumar, V.L., Basu, N., 1994. Anti-inflammatory activity of the latex of Calotropis procera. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 44, 123 – 125. Mascolo, N., Izzo, A.A., Autore, G., Barbato, F., Capasso, F., 1994. Nitric oxide and Castor-oil induced diarrhoea. Journal of Pharmacology and Eperimental Therapeutics 268, 291 – 295. Robert, A., Nezamis, J.E., Lancaster, C., Hanchar, A.J., Klepper, M.S., 1976. Enteropooling assay: a test for diarrhoea produced by prostaglandins. Prostaglandins 11, 809 – 828. Sharma, G.K., 1934. Calotropis procera and Calotropis gigantia. Indian Journal of Veterinary Sciences 4, 63 – 74. Stewart, J.J., Gaginella, T.S., Olsen, W.A., Bass, P., 1975. Inhibitory actions of laxatives on motility and water and electrolyte transport in the gastrointestinal tract. Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics 192, 458 – 467. Uchida, M., Matsueda, K., Kato, Y., Shoda, R., Yamato, S., Muraoka, A., 1997. Involvement of nitric oxide, which was synthesized by constitutive nitric oxide synthase, and prostaglandin on diarrhoea induced by castor oil in rats. Nippon Yakurigaku Zasshi 110, 77 – 82. The Wealth of India, 1992. Raw Materials. Publication and Information Directorate, CSIR, New Delhi, vol. 3, pp. 78 – 84.