Antidiarrhoeal and anti-emetic activities of aqueous leaf extract of Ficus thonningii Blume in young chicks

Abstract

Treatments for diarrhoeal and vomiting with modern drugs have been associated with unwanted effects such as sedation and extrapyramidal effects. In this study, Ficus thonningii Blume leaf extract (FTE) was investigated for its anti-diarrhoeal and anti-emetic properties. Two study groups, namely anti-diarrhoeal and anti-emetic groups (n=36), were sorted into: placebo; drug-treatment, and 3 plant-extract treatment (FT100, FT200 and FT300) subgroups (n = 6). In the placebo group, chicks were administered only saline solution (0.9 %) while chlorpromazine (150 mg/kg) and loperamide (2.5 mg/kg) served as positive control in the anti-emetic and antidiarrhoeal study groups, respectively. The plant-extract treatment groups (FT100, FT200 and FT300) were treated with 100, 200, and 300 mg/kg doses of FTE, respectively. Vomiting was induced using oral copper sulphate solution (50 mg/kg) and chicks were observed for latency as-well-as number of retches. In the anti-diarrhoea study group, 30 mins after treatment with extracts, diarrhoea was induced with oral castor oil and latency as-well-as number of defecation was observed. Results revealed that treatment with 200 and 300 mg/kg of FTE, similar to chlorpromazine, inhibited the number of retching in chicks by 71% and 78%, respectively. Treatment with 100, 200 and 300 mg/kg of FTE, similar to loperamide, reduced the number of droppings in chicks by 45.4%, 42.9%, and 58.4%, respectively. Thus, the results showed that FTE possess anti-emetic and anti-diarrhoeal properties which qualifies it a potential research candidate in search of new drugs.