title: Diuretic and anti-diuretic activities of fractions of Alismatis rhizoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Alismatis rhizoma or Alisma orientale (Zexie in Chinese), the dried rhizome of Alisma orientale Juzepzuk (Alismataceae), is a well-known traditional Chinese medicine and is used as an agent for diuresis and for excreting dampness in China and Japan. In this paper, we report the diuretic activities of the petroleum ether fraction, the ethyl acetate fraction, the n-buthanol fraction, and the remaining fraction, of the ethanol extract of Alismatis rhizoma (AR).
  
  
  METHODS
  The single dose of the petroleum ether fraction, the ethyl acetate fraction, the n-buthanol fraction, and the remaining fraction, of the ethanol extract of AR were orally administered to rats. Urinary excretion rate, pH and electrolyte excretion were measured in the urine of saline-loaded rats.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In this study, the 100 and 400mg/kg doses of the ethyl acetate fraction and the 12.5, 25 and 50mg/kg doses of the n-butanol fraction all produced an increase in urine volume excretion, and all produced a remarkable increase in urine electrolyte excretion. Although the 800mg/kg doses of the ethyl acetate fraction, the 75 and 100mg/kg doses of the n-butanol fraction and the 12.5, 25 and 50mg/kg doses of the remaining fraction significantly decreased the urine output in 6h, the urine Na(+) and Cl(-) excretion were markedly decreased with the n-butanol fraction (75 and 100mg/kg doses) and the remaining fraction (12.5, 25 and 50mg/kg doses) while the ethyl acetate fraction at 800mg/kg doses had slight effect on urine electrolyte excretion. The petroleum ether fraction did not show remarkable diuretic activity in comparison with control group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our present study determined that the ethyl acetate fraction and the n-butanol fraction present notable diuretic effects, and we found a dual effect on renal function showed by AR, including promoting diuretic activity and inhibiting diuretic activity. The components with strong polarities in AR may have anti-diuretic activities, which might be an effect of promoting the sodium-chloride co-transporter in the distal tubule.
authors.affiliation: The Key Laboratory of Resource Biology and Biotechnology in Western China, Ministry of Education, the College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, No. 229 Taibai North Road, Xi׳an, Shaanxi 710069, PR China.
authors.forename: Dan-Qian
authors.initials: DQ
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: The Key Laboratory of Resource Biology and Biotechnology in Western China, Ministry of Education, the College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, No. 229 Taibai North Road, Xi׳an, Shaanxi 710069, PR China.
authors.forename: Ya-Long
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.affiliation: The Key Laboratory of Resource Biology and Biotechnology in Western China, Ministry of Education, the College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, No. 229 Taibai North Road, Xi׳an, Shaanxi 710069, PR China.
authors.forename: Ting
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.affiliation: The Key Laboratory of Resource Biology and Biotechnology in Western China, Ministry of Education, the College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, No. 229 Taibai North Road, Xi׳an, Shaanxi 710069, PR China.
authors.forename: Hua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: The Key Laboratory of Resource Biology and Biotechnology in Western China, Ministry of Education, the College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, No. 229 Taibai North Road, Xi׳an, Shaanxi 710069, PR China.
authors.forename: Lu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.affiliation: The Key Laboratory of Resource Biology and Biotechnology in Western China, Ministry of Education, the College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, No. 229 Taibai North Road, Xi׳an, Shaanxi 710069, PR China. Electronic address: zyy@nwu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Ying-Yong
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: School of Chinese Materia Medica, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, No. 11 North Third Ring Road, Beijing 100029, PR China. Electronic address: linrch307@sina.com.
authors.forename: Rui-Chao
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Lin
mesh_terms: D034902:Alisma / Q000737:chemistry*; D000818:Animals; D050034:Antidiuretic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004232:Diuretics / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D007686:Kidney Tubules, Distal / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D027343:Rhizome; D049992:Sodium Chloride Symporters / Q000378:metabolism; D012997:Solvents / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D050034:Antidiuretic Agents; D004232:Diuretics; D010936:Plant Extracts; D049992:Sodium Chloride Symporters; D012997:Solvents
keywords: Alisma orientale Juzepzuk; Alismatis Rhizoma; Anti-diuretic activity; Diuretic activity