Psidium guajava leaf extract improves gastrointestinal functions in rats and rabbits: an implication for ulcer and diarrhoea management

Abstract

Purpose

Psidium guajava L. (Family, Myrtaceae) is reportedly used in ethnomedicine for the treatment of diarrhoea, inflammation, and gastroenteritis.

Objective

This study evaluated the gastrointestinal function of Psidium guajava leaf extract (PGLE) in rats and rabbits.

Materials and methods

Crude ethanolic PGLE was subjected to phytochemical and toxicity tests (acute and sub-acute). Standard analytical procedures were employed to evaluate the in vivo gastrointestinal motility, and gastroprotective effect of PGLE against aspirin-induced ulcers.

Results

In the phytochemical analysis, phenols were the highest (48.32 mg) followed by flavonoids (32.74 mg) and least in tannins (7.31 mg). The acute toxicity of PGLE was >6000 mg/kg. Administration of PGLE decreased significantly (p < 0.05) the body weight, while the liver biomarkers were not significantly altered (p > 0.05) when compared to the control. PGLE significantly increased extractible mucus weight and lowered gastric acid secretion in rats (p < 0.05). PGLE decreased significantly (p < 0.05) ulcer scores and indexes, and increased percentage ulcer inhibition in a dose-dependent manner compared to the negative and omeprazole-treated groups. PGLE dose-dependently inhibited basal amplitudes of contractions, and significantly inhibited acetylcholine-induced contractions, terminating them completely at higher doses.

Conclusion

PGLE may be a good anti-ulcer and anti-diarrhoeal agent, raising the prospect of novel drug development for such applications.

Keywords:

• Anti-diarrhoea
• anti-ulcer
• gastrointestinal
• gastroprotective
• Psidium guajava

Author contributions

S.N.I., O.E., and E.A.U. wrote the original draft, and did the statistical analysis. L.N.I.: literature review and read the manuscript. C.T.: literature review and read through the manuscript. All the authors read the final draft and consented to its submission.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Ethics statement

All ethical regulations were strictly followed throughout the study.

Data availability statement

All data generated from this study are available from the corresponding author on request.

Additional information

Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.