Antidiarrhoeal Effect Of The Crude Methanol Extract Of The Dried Fruit Of Adansonia Digitata L. (Malvaceae)

Aim: The study was designed to evaluate the antidiarrhoeal property of the methanol extract of the fruit ofAdansonia digitata using laboratory animal models.Materials and Methods: The acute oral toxicity (LD) of the extract was determined in mice, while the antidiarrhoeal effect of different doses of the extract was evaluated in both mice and rats. The effect of the extract at doses of 300, 700 and 1000 mg/kg were tested against intestinal transit time, magnesium sulphate-induced gastrointestinal motility test and castor oil induced diarrhoea in mice. Similarly, the extract at the doses mentioned above was evaluated against castor-oil induced enteropooling in rats.Results: The methanol extract ofA. digitata was shown to have no toxic effect in mice at doses up to 5000 mg/kg. At doses of 300 and 700 mg/kg the extract significantly (p<0.01) decrease intestinal transit time in mice, In addition, the extract at doses of 300, 700 and 1000 mg/kg, significantly (p<0.05) lowered diarrhoea induced by magnesium sulphate and castor oil in mice, Similarly, the extract produced a significant (p<0.05) inhibition of enteropooling caused by castor oil in rats, The antidiarrhoeal effect of the extract was shown to be dose-dependent.Conclusion: These findings revealed the potential of the extract of fruit of A. digital(' as an antidiarrhoeal agent. The detailed mechanism of the extract antidiarrhoeal action is yet to be ascertained. However, one or more of the phytoconstituents contained in the extract could he responsible for the observed antidiarrhoeal effect.