EVALUATION OF ANTI-DIARRHOEAL EFFECT OF AQUEOUS ANDETHANOLIC EXTRACTS OF FRUIT PULP OF TERMINALIA BELERICA INRATS

Present study was aimed to evaluate the anti-diarrhoeal effect of aqueous and ethanolic extract of fruit pulp of Terminalia belerica at the doses of 334 mg/kg, 200 mg/kg, 143 mg/kg, in castor oil induced diarrhoea, PGE2 induced enteropooling and gastrointestinal motility test. Diarrhoea was induced in rats by the administration of 1ml of castor oil. Percentage protection in castor oil induced diarrhoea by aqueous and ethanolic extract at 334 mg/kg was 73.37 and 63.58 respectively. In PGE2 induced enteropooling 100ig/kg of PGE2 was administered to rats showed very significant anti-enteropooling effect produced by both the extracts. In gastrointestinal motility test, 1ml of charcoal was administered to induce diarrhoea and the percentage protection of 334 mg/kg of aqueous extract and ethanolic extract was found out to be 67.20 and 68.27 respectively. Comparison of percentage protection in these models revealed that the extracts have more prominent anti-secretory effect than the reduction in gastrointestinal motility. Only high doses of both the extracts showed very significant action in castor oil induced diarrhoea and gastrointestinal motility test but in PGE2 induced enteropooling the proportion of anti-diarrhoeal effect was not same as the proportion in which the dose increased. The anti-diarrhoeal effect of both the extracts might be due to the presence of tannins, flavonoids and alkaloid and these phytoconstituents might be stimulating the reabsorption and/or anti-secretory effect in the intestinal lumen as well as significantly enhancing intestinal transit time and intestinal motility decreased.