910 Original article doi: 10.12980/jclm.3.2015j5-111 ©2015 by the Journal of Coastal Life Medicine. All rights reserved. Antidiarrheal effects of hydromethanolic extract of Combretum dolichopetalum leaves in mice Samuel Okwudili Onoja * , Nkeiruka Emmanuela Udeh Department of Veterinary Physiology, Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Animal Health and Production, College of Veterinary Medicine, Micheal Okpara University of Agriculture, PMB 7267, Umudike, Abia State, Nigeria Journal of Coastal Life Medicine 2015; 3(11): 910-913 Journal of Coastal Life Medicine *Corresponding author: Samuel Okwudili Onoja, Department of Veterinary Physiology, Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Animal Health and Production, College of Veterinary Medicine, Micheal Okpara University of Agriculture, PMB 7267, Umudike, Abia State, Nigeria. Tel: +2348030613032, +2348113140624 E-mail: samonreal@yahoo.com 1. Introduction Combretum dolichopetalum Engl and Diels (C. dolichopetalum) belonging to the family Combretaceae is commonly known as “achicha nza” (food of the sun bird) in Igboland and “okoso” in Edo Nigeria[1]. It is a scandent shrub or forest liane of deciduous forest, and usually occurs along banks from Sierra Leone to West Cameroon[2]. The leaves and roots are extensively used in ethnomedical practices of many cultures. In Nigeria, the plant is used in the treatment of burns and gastrointestinal disorders[3]. In Ghana, an infusion of the leaves, roots and stem is used in the management of “garil” (Fula), a condition of “stomach stagger” in cattle[1]. The antiulcer, antihepatotoxic, trypanocidal, anti- inflammatory, antidiabetic, gastric antisecretory, smooth muscle relaxant and antispasmolytic activities of C. dolichopetalum have been reported by previous workers[1,3-7]. The presence of alkaloids, saponins, glycosides, flavonoids, tannins, steroids and terpenoids in C. dolichopetalum has been documented[1]. Our literature search did not yield any reports on the in vivo antidiarrheal activity of C. dolichopetalum, despite its extensive folkloric use for this purpose. The present study aimed at the investigation of the antidiarrheal activity of hydromethanolic extract of C. dolichopetalum leaves. 2. Materials and methods 2.1. Plant collection and identification The leaves of C. dolichopetalum were collected in May, 2014 from Umuahia North, Local Government, Abia State, Nigeria. They were identified by Mr A. O. Ozioko, a taxonomist at Bioresource Development and Conservation Programme, Enugu State, Nigeria. A voucher specimen catalogued MOUAU/VPP/2014/013 was deposited in the departmental herbarium for reference purposes. 2.2. Preparation of the plant material The leaves of C. dolichopetalum were dried at room temperature ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Objective: To evaluate the antidiarrheal activity of the hydromethanolic extract of Combretum dolichopetalum (C. dolichopetalum) leaves. Methods: The antidiarrheal activity of the hydromethanolic extract of C. dolichopetalum leaves was evaluated by inducing diarrhea with castor oil, testing small intestinal motility and establishing enteropooling models in mice. Five groups of animals were used for each model and were treated as follows: Group A received 10 mL/kg of distilled water, and Group B received loperamide (5 mg/kg) while Groups C, D, E received 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg of hydromethanolic C. dolichopetalum extract, respectively. Results: The pre-treatment of the mice with the extract (50, 100 and 200 mg/kg) caused a significantly dose-dependent decrease in the mean percentage of wet faeces (P < 0.05), compared with the negative control in diarrhea induced by castor oil. The extract reduced the distance travelled by the charcoal meal in the small intestine in a dose-dependent manner in the treated groups, compared with the negative control. The charcoal meal travelled 64.71%, 49.13%, 55.21%, 51.75% and 32.95% of the small intestine length in the groups treated with distilled water, loperamide, 50 mg/kg, 100 mg/kg and 200 mg/kg of C. dolichopetalum extract, respectively. The extract treatment produced a dose-dependent decrease in the mean small intestinal fluid volume, but there was no significant difference (P > 0.05), compared with the negative control. Conclusions: The study shows that C. dolichopetalum leaves possess antidiarrheal activity and validate its use in ethnomedicine for that purpose. Article history: Received 8 Jul 2015 Accepted 20 Oct 2015 Available online 9 Nov 2015 Keywords: Antidiarrheal Loperamide Castor oil Charcoal meal Enteropooling journal homepage: www.jclmm.com