ABSTRACT
Diarrhoea, whatever
the underlying causes affects both man and animals, and remains a global
concern, requiring urgent attention, especially among the young. The quest for
a more natural alternative that is easily available, accessible and affordable,
have necessitated an increased global search particularly among herbs for
bioactive anti-diarrhoeal agents. This study therefore, intended to interrogate
the extracts of Anacardium occidentale
leaves to confirm earlier claims of possible anti-diarrhoeal activity, then use
solvent-solvent partitioning to arrive at varying fractions, and test both
extract and fractions to ascertain any active biomolecules, and unearth any probable
mechanism of action, in vitro – on isolated
rabbit intestines and in microbial cultures of enterobacteria. The results
obtained in this work indicated that, potentially safe concentrations of the
crude extract and the different fractions had varying degrees of protection
from diarrhoea, in dose dependent manners, using various in vivo models. Oral administration of the highest dose (800mg/kg
b. wt.), elicited maximal inhibitory effects on all the diarrhoea parameters
investigated. In vitro, the results
of this study showed that both the crude extract and the different fractions of
A. occidentale leaves provoked relaxing
effect on acetylcholine- and histamine- induced contractions of isolated rabbit
intestinal smooth muscles, which portrayed a concentration dependent effect
across the various percentages investigated. It was observed that whereas, both
the crude extract and the fractions at all concentrations studied, partially
inhibited acetylcholine-induced smooth muscle contractions on isolated rabbit
intestines, the histamine receptors where completely blocked, indicating more
of an anti-histamine than anti-cholinergic mechanism of controlling diarrhoea
for A. occidentale extract. Investigating
the role these plant-derived products play on isolates of diarrhoea-causing
pathogenic E. coli, and Salmonella spp., the crude extract
portends to inhibit the bacterial growth more than any of the derived
fractions, thus suggestive of an additive, complementary or synergistic effect
of individual composites, rather than the role of a single biomolecule in the
leaf extracts of A. occidentale. Again,
asides the crude extract, only the chloroform fraction possessed potent active
principles with overt anti-diarrhoeal activities on all the parameters employed
for this work. In conclusion, the extracts of Anacardium occidentale, have shown good anti-diarrhoeal effects,
principally by decreasing intestinal secretions, modifying intestinal motility
and inhibition of diarrhoea causing enterogenic E. coli and Salmonella organisms’
growth in vitro, which at least, in
part, lends some credence to the folkloric claim that A. occidentale leaves can be used to control diarrhoea, even in
emergencies, hence its use in some rural communities for such.
DANIEL, C (2022). The Mechanisms Of Antidiarrhoeal Activities Of Anacardium Occidentale Leaf Extract/Fractions. Mouau.afribary.org: Retrieved Nov 23, 2024, from https://repository.mouau.edu.ng/work/view/the-mechanisms-of-antidiarrhoeal-activities-of-anacardium-occidentale-leaf-extractfractions-7-2
CHIDI, DANIEL. "The Mechanisms Of Antidiarrhoeal Activities Of Anacardium Occidentale Leaf Extract/Fractions" Mouau.afribary.org. Mouau.afribary.org, 19 Oct. 2022, https://repository.mouau.edu.ng/work/view/the-mechanisms-of-antidiarrhoeal-activities-of-anacardium-occidentale-leaf-extractfractions-7-2. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.
CHIDI, DANIEL. "The Mechanisms Of Antidiarrhoeal Activities Of Anacardium Occidentale Leaf Extract/Fractions". Mouau.afribary.org, Mouau.afribary.org, 19 Oct. 2022. Web. 23 Nov. 2024. < https://repository.mouau.edu.ng/work/view/the-mechanisms-of-antidiarrhoeal-activities-of-anacardium-occidentale-leaf-extractfractions-7-2 >.
CHIDI, DANIEL. "The Mechanisms Of Antidiarrhoeal Activities Of Anacardium Occidentale Leaf Extract/Fractions" Mouau.afribary.org (2022). Accessed 23 Nov. 2024. https://repository.mouau.edu.ng/work/view/the-mechanisms-of-antidiarrhoeal-activities-of-anacardium-occidentale-leaf-extractfractions-7-2