Selamu Kebamo, Eyasu Makonnen, Asfaw Debella and Bekesho Gelet
Background: Carissa edulis is used traditionally for the treatment of HIV/AIDS symptoms, rheumatism, gonorrhea, syphilis, rabies, malaria, epilepsy, chronic joint pain, and as a diuretic.
Objective: The present study investigates the diuretic activity of different solvent fractions of 80% methanol Soxhlet extract of Carissa edulis root bark in normal wistar rats.
Materials and methods: The volumes of urine output and urinary electrolyte were the parameters determined by oral administration of single doses of different solvent fractions of 80% methanol Soxhlet extract of Carissa edulis root bark at three dose levels (50, 500 and 1000 mg/kg) in normal wistar rats.
Results: The petroleum ether and n-butanol fractions showed no significant effect on the urine output and urinary excretion of K+ and Cl- at all tested doses. Urinary excretion of Na+ was, however, affected by the petroleum ether fraction (p<0.002 at 1000 mg/kg) and n-butanol fraction (p<0.05 at 50 mg/kg; p<0.03 1000 mg/kg). The aqueous fraction significantly increased urine output in a dose dependent manner (p<0.005 at 50 mg/kg; p<0.001 at 500 and 1000 mg/kg). It also significantly increased urinary excretion of Na+ (p<0.006 at 500 mg/kg; p<0.001 at 1000 mg/kg) and Cl- (p<0.05 at 50 mg/kg; p<0.001 at 500 and 1000 mg/kg) in a dose dependent manner. Moreover, the aqueous fraction produced no acute toxicity at the assayed dose, which was also consistent with previous results from mice model.
Conclusion: These findings collectively indicate that aqueous fraction exhibited significant diuretic activity, providing evidence, at least in part, for its folkloric use.
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