title: Laxative effects of agarwood on low-fiber diet-induced constipation in rats.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Agarwood (Aquilaria sinensis), well known as incense in Southeast Asia, has been used as a digestive in traditional medicine. We investigated the laxative effects of an ethanol extract of agarwood leaves (EEA) in a rat model of low-fiber diet-induced constipation.
  
  
  METHODS
  A set of rats was bred on a normal diet while another set was placed on a low-fiber diet to induce constipation. The laxative effect of agarwood was then investigated on both sets of rats.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Pretreatment of normal rats with single dose of EEA (600 mg/kg, p.o.) significantly increased frequency and weight of stools. Also, treatments with EEA (300 and 600 mg/kg, p.o.) for 14 days caused a significant increase in stool frequency and weight. Feeding of the animals with a low-fiber diet resulted in a decrease in stool weight, frequency, and water content and also delayed carmine egestion. A single treatment with EEA (600 mg/kg) or senna (150 and 300 mg/kg) significantly increased stool frequency, weight, and water content and also accelerated carmine egestion in the model rats. Once daily administrations of EEA (150 mg/kg), for 14 days, caused a significant increase in water content of stools. The higher doses of EEA (300 and 600 mg/kg) significantly increased frequency, weight, and water content of the stools while accelerating carmine egestion in the constipated rats. Senna (150 and 300 mg/kg) produced similar effect as the higher doses of EEA but, in addition, induced severe diarrhea.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings indicate that EEA has a laxative effect, without causing diarrhea, in a rat model of low-fiber diet-induced constipation. These findings suggest that EEA may be highly effective on constipation as a complementary medicine in humans suffering from life style-induced constipation.
authors.affiliation: Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Biofunctional Evaluation, Gifu Pharmaceutical University, Gifu 501-1196, Japan.
authors.forename: Mamoru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kakino
authors.forename: Shigemi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tazawa
authors.forename: Hiroe
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Maruyama
authors.forename: Kazuhiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tsuruma
authors.forename: Yoko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Araki
authors.forename: Masamitsu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shimazawa
authors.forename: Hideaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hara
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002329:Carmine / Q000032:analysis; D003248:Constipation / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D003672:Defecation / Q000187:drug effects*; D003967:Diarrhea; D004032:Diet; D004043:Dietary Fiber / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005243:Feces / Q000737:chemistry; D054368:Laxatives / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018515:Plant Leaves; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D029846:Senna Plant; D029645:Thymelaeaceae; D014867:Water / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D004043:Dietary Fiber; D054368:Laxatives; D010936:Plant Extracts; D014867:Water; D002329:Carmine