title: Anti-diarrheal effect of water extract of Evodiae fructus in mice.
abstract: Our previous study showed that Evodiae fructus (the dried, unripe fruit of Evodia rutaecarpa) has an inhibitory effect on the intestinal transit (anti-transit effect) in mice. In the present study, a water extract of Evodiae fructus was used to examine its effect on castor oil-induced diarrhea and to compare with its anti-transit effect in mice. The results indicated that Evodiae fructus had both anti-transit and anti-diarrheal effects with comparable ID(50) (the dose for 50% inhibition) values of 54+/-7 and 76+/-17 mg/kg. The time-courses of Evodiae fructus pretreatment for both anti-transit and anti-diarrheal effects were very similar. Because no significant influences of both nitric oxide (NO) precursor L-arginine (600 mg/kg, i.p.) and NO synthase inhibitor N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (25 mg/kg, i.p.) pretreatment, the NO system was not involved in both the anti-transit and anti-diarrheal effects of Evodiae fructus. Like Evodiae fructus, a muscarinic acetylcholine receptor antagonist atropine inhibited castor oil-induced increase in fecal weight and loss of body weight. However, the potencies or time-courses of atropine pretreatment for both anti-transit and anti-diarrheal effects were different. Furthermore, the anti-diarrheal effect of atropine was independent of its anti-transit effect at the lower dose (0.5 mg/kg, i.p.). Therefore, the action of Evodiae fructus appeared to be something different from atropine, suggesting that an action other than the anti-muscarinic action, as previously proposed for Evodiae fructus, may be involved.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Pharmacology, National Yang-Ming University, 11221, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: L L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.forename: C F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000930:Antidiarrheals / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001285:Atropine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002368:Castor Oil / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000628:therapy*; D005772:Gastrointestinal Transit / Q000187:drug effects*; D051379:Mice; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000494:pharmacology; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D000930:Antidiarrheals; D010936:Plant Extracts; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D001285:Atropine; D002368:Castor Oil