Antidiarrheal and Lipid Profile Ameliorative Activity of a Bi-Herbal Aqueous (Plant) Extract on Castor Oil-Induced Diarrheal in Male Wistar Rats and Mice
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Abstract
Natural remedies play a notable role in managing and treating numerous diseases. The growing interest in medicinal plants for managing a range of diseases has prompted investigations into their potential to treat diarrhoea and lower cholesterol levels. This work evaluated the effects of a bi-herbal extract from Ocimum gratissimum (scent leaf) and Psidium guajava (guava) on diarrhoea, lipid profile and acute toxicity response in adult male Wistar rats and mice. The tested animals were randomly assigned to five groups (n = 3). The bi-herbal extract was administered at 25 mg/kg (Group 3), 50 mg/kg (Group 4), and 100 mg/kg (Group 5), with 2 mg/kg loperamide (Group 2) and 0.5 ml/kg distilled water (Group 1) as controls. Diarrhoea was induced using castor oil and magnesium sulphate, and lipid parameters and anti-diarrhoeal activities were evaluated. The results indicated that the bi-herbal extract, particularly at 50 mg/kg, significantly reduced (p < 0.05) Total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein levels compared to the controls. The acute toxicity study revealed no death or untoward effects up to 100 mg/kg. The effect of the bi-herbal extract on high-density lipoprotein levels (28.00 ± 1.00 mg/dL to 30.50 ± 5.50 mg/dL) did not differ significantly across groups (p > 0.05). The study also indicates that the bi-herbal aqueous extract displayed significant antidiarrheal activity, effectively reducing stool frequency and water content in both magnesium sulphate (MgSO4) and castor oil–induced diarrhea. In conclusion, it can be inferred that the bi-herbal extract possesses significant anti-diarrheal and hypolipidemic properties, effectively lowering key atherogenic lipids without toxicity.
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