Evaluation of Antidiarrheal Activity of the Ethanolic Stem Bark Extract of Vernonia amygdalina in Experimental Animals

Abstract

Locally, Vernonia amygdalina has been recommended for treatment of a number of ailments including stomach ache, skin infections, diabetes, insomnia, toothache, pneumonia, stroke and diarrhea. Despite its traditional usage as an anti-diarrheal agent, there is limited documented information on its effectiveness for the treatment of diarrhea.  In this study, the anti-diarrheal activity of the ethanol extract of the stem bark of Vernonia amygdalina was evaluated in castor oil induced diarrheal rats. The anti-diarrheal effect of the extract at 100, 200 and 400mg/kg body weight was evaluated in female rats using gastro intestinal transit, diarrheal and enteropooling induced by castor oil models. Loperamide and Atropine sulphate were used as standard drugs for diarrheal. In castor oil induced diarrheal model, the ethanol stem bark extract of Vernonia amygdalina at 100, 200 and 400mg/kg and the standard drug Loperamide (3mg/kg) significantly reduced the time of onset of diarrhea and the frequency of defecation (total number faecal output and weight of faeces). The extract (100, 200 and 400mg/kg) also significantly reduced the intestinal transit time in charcoal meal and castor oil induced enteropooling when compared with Atropine sulphate (5mg/kg). The result showed that the ethanol extract of V. amygdalina stem bark have significant anti-diarrheal activity which support the traditional use of the plant for the treatment of diarrhea.

Keywords：Vernonia amygdalina, antidiarrheal, castor oil, ethanol extract.