Abstract:
Background: Diarrhea is highly prevalent, ranked second next to respiratory diseases, it is a
global health concern. It was estimated that more than half a million deaths per year from
diarrhea occur among children under 5 years of age worldwide.
Objective: To investigate the anti-diarrheal activity of both 80 % methanol extract and solvent
fractions of the roots of F.thonningii in mice and anti-bacterial activities of some selected
diarrhea-causing bacteria.
Method: In castor oil induced diarrheal , castor oil induced anti-enteropooling and normal and castor oil
induced charcoal meal test models , either sex of mice were randomly assigned into five groups of six
mice each, and group I (negative control) received the vehicle, Group II (positive control) was treated
with a standard drug. Groups III, IV, and V received 100 mg/kg, 200 mg/kg, and 400 mg/kg doses of the
extract, respectively. Statistical significant differences of both the number and weight of wet and total
feces, intestinal fluid accumulation, and distance traveled by a charcoal meal between groups were
analyzed by SPSS version- 26 using one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey's HSD post hoc multiple
comparisons. The antibacterial activity of the plant on Shigella sonnei, Salmonella typhi, Escherichia
Coli, and Staphylococcus aureus was assessed on inhibition zone, MIC, and MBC using agar well
diffusion and micro-dilution techniques.
Results: The crude extract and aqueous fraction significantly delayed the onset of diarrhea,
reduced the weight and volume of intestinal contents as well as inhibited the intestinal transit of
charcoal meal at all tested doses as compared to the negative controls (p<0.001). The crude
extract significantly (p<0.001) inhibited the weight of intestinal content at all tested doses as
compared to the controls. While the n-hexane fraction significantly (p<0.01) prolonged the onset
of diarrhea and inhibited gastrointestinal motility only at the tested dose of 400 mg/kg. Amongst
solvent fractions, the aqueous fraction achieved the highest anti- diarrheal index ( 87.0 %). The
80 % methanol extract and all solvent fractions have marginal antibacterial activity against
selected strains. Ethyl acetate fraction(EAF) had the highest activity. E.coli was the most
susceptible species for EAF with a MIC of 25mg/ml.
Conclusion: This study finding provides scientific evidence for the acclaimed traditional use of
F.thonningii roots for the treatment of diarrhea and recommends further research to characterize
molecules with anti-diarrheal activity.
