Antidiarrheal activity of methanolic extract of the root bark of Cordia africana

Figures & data

Table 1 Results of identification tests of secondary metabolites in root bark of C. africana

Secondary metabolites	Method used for identification	Reagents used	Result
Phenols	Ferric chloride test	Ferric chloride solution	Positive
Anthraquinones	Borntrager’s test	Benzene, 10% ammonia	Negative
Flavonoids	Lead acetate test	Lead acetate solution	Positive
Phytosterols	Salkowski reaction	Petroleum ether, chloroform, concentrated H2SO4	Negative
Alkaloids	Mayer’s test	1% HCl, Mayer’s reagent	Negative
Glycosides	Modified Borntrager‘s test	Dilute hydrochloric acid, ferric chloride, benzene	Negative
Terpenoids	Salkowski test	Chloroform, concentrated H2SO4	Positive
Saponins	Foam test	Distilled water	Positive

Abbreviation: C. africana, Cordia africana.

Table 2 Effect of methanolic extract of C. africana on castor oil-induced diarrhea in mice

Groups	Dose (mg/kg)	Onset of diarrhea (minutes)	Total number of feces	Total number of diarrheic drops	Weight of fresh fecal output (g)	Inhibition of defecation (%)#	Inhibition of diarrheal drops (%)#
Group 1 (water), negative control	–	25.00±1.39	11.83±0.79	5.67±0.92	1.21±0.17	0	0
Group 2 (loperamide), positive control	3	129.83±4.80a,***	1.50±0.22a***	0.50±0.22a***	0.25±0.08a***	87.32	91.18
Group 3 (extract)	100	25.83±1.56b,***	6.60±0.40a***,b***	4.50±0.29b***	1.04±0.08b***	44.21	20.63
Group 4 (extract)	200	40.17±5.13a,**,b,***,c,**	5.75±1.03a***,b***	3.00±0.45a*,b*	0.83±0.24a**,b***	51.39	47.09
Group 5 (extract)	400	96.20±14.51a***,b***,c***,d***	5.17±0.54a***,b***	2.20±0.37a**,b*,c**	0.47±0.05a**,c***,d**	56.30	61.20

Notes: Values are in mean ± SEM (n=6).

a Compared with negative control;

b compared with positive control;

c compared with group 3;

d compared with group 4.

* P<0.05,

** P<0.01,

*** P<0.001.

# % Inhibition is relative to the negative control group.

Abbreviations: C. africana, Cordia africana; +ve, positive; −ve, negative; SEM, standard error of mean.

Table 3 Effect of methanolic extract of C. africana on intestinal fluid accumulation in mice

Groups	Dose (mg/kg)	Weight of intestinal fluid (g)	Inhibition of weight of intestinal content (%)#
Group 1 (water), negative control	–	0.41±0.05	0
Group 2 (loperamide), positive control	1	0.12±0.01a***	70.73
Group 3 (extract)	100	0.30±0.02b***	26.83
Group 4 (extract)	200	0.22±0.01a**,b*,c	46.34
Group 5 (extract)	400	0.19±0.01a***,b*,c**	53.66

Notes: Values are in mean ± SEM (n=6).

a Compared with negative control;

b compared with positive control;

c ompared with group 3.

* P<0.05,

** P<0.01,

*** P<0.001.

# Inhibition (%) is relative to the negative control group.

Abbreviations: C. africana, Cordia africana; SEM, standard error of mean.

Table 4 Effect of methanolic extract of C. africana on intestinal transit in mice

Groups	Dose (mg/kg)	Traversed by charcoal meal (%)	Inhibition intestinal length traversed by charcoal meal (%)#
Group 1 (water), negative control	–	79.02±4.85	0
Group 2 (atropine), positive control	1	26.48±2.68a***	66.49
Group 3 (extract)	100	59.73±3.10a*,b***	24.41
Group 4 (extract)	200	47.50±5.96a***,b***,c**	39.89
Group 5 (extract)	400	38.20±2.34a***,b**,c***,d*	51.66

Notes: Values are in mean ± SEM (n=6).

a Compared with negative control;

b compared with positive control;

c compared with group 3;

d compared with group 4.

* P<0.05,

** P<0.01,

*** P<0.001.

# Inhibition (%) is relative to the negative control group.

Abbreviations: C. africana, Cordia africana; SEM, standard error of mean.