Planta Med 2007; 73 - P_169
DOI: 10.1055/s-2007-986950

Evaluation of the antibacterial and antidiarrheal activities of Heeria insignis O. Ktze (Anacardiaceae)

A Agunu 1, AA Ahmadu 2, AU Zezi 3, AU Yaro 4, JO Ehinmidu 5
  • 1Department of Pharmacognosy and Drug Development, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria
  • 2Department of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria
  • 3Department of Pharmacology and clinical Pharmacy, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria
  • 4Department of Pharmacology, Bayero University, Kano
  • 5Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Microbiology, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria

Heeria insignis O. Ktze (Anacardiaceae) is an indigenous African shrub used in treatment of diarrhea, venereal diseases, tapeworm, hookworm, schistosomiasis, kidney trouble and for increasing lactation in women after childbirth [1,2,3]. The methanol and dichloromethane extracts of the leaves were evaluated for antibacterial activity (using agar-diffusion method) and antidiarrheal activity (using isolated rabbit jejunum and castor-oil induced diarrhea in mice) [4]. The methanol extract gave higher antibacterial activity than the dichloromethane extract. The order of susceptibility of test microorganisms to the methanol extract were Salmonella typhi > Pseudomonas aeruginosa > Staphyloccocus aureus > Bacillus subtilis > Escherichia coli which were greater than that of dichloromethane and comparable to standard. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the methanol extract for these microorganisms was also conducted [5]. The MIC values (in mg/ml) of methanol extract against microorganisms are as follows: B. subtilis (3.9), S. aureus (1.95), E. coli (62.5), Ps. aeruginosa (3.9) and S. typhi (1.95). On the isolated rabbit jejunum evaluation, both extracts produced concentration-dependent relaxation of isolated rabbit jejunum that was not blocked by phentolamine, suggesting that extracts act via mechanisms other than α-adrenergic receptors. In the castor oil-induced diarrhoeal test, each extract gave 80% protection at 200mg/kg which is comparable to loperamide 2mg/kg with 80% protection. This finding may explain the use of the plant in diarrhea and bacterial diseases.

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