title: Safety and antidiarrheal activity of Priva adhaerens aqueous leaf extract in a murine model.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Priva adhaerens (Forssk.) Chiov., a wildly growing plant, is reported in central Uganda to be an effective traditional remedy for diarrhea. The objective of this study was to provide a scientific basis for the ethnopharmacological utility of this plant whose aqueous leaf and shoot extract was evaluated for acute toxicity and antidiarrheal activity using a murine model.
  
  
  METHODS
  Acute toxicity of the aqueous leaf and shoot extract was assessed after determining the major phytochemicals present in the extract. The aqueous leaf and shoot extract was assayed against castor oil-induced diarrhea, transit time, and enteropooling, in comparison to loperamide, a standard drug.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The oral LD50 value obtained for Priva adhaerens aqueous extract was greater than 5000mg/kg in rats; the aqueous leaf and shoot extract possessed several important phytochemicals. Furthermore, the aqueous extract significantly, and dose-dependently, reduced frequency of stooling in castor oil-induced diarrhea, intestinal motility, and castor oil-induced enteropooling in rats.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This murine model shows that it is relatively safe to orally use the aqueous leaf and shoot extract of Priva adhaerens. The aqueous extract contains phytochemicals that are active for the treatment of diarrhea in a rat model.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Kampala International University, P.O. Box 71, Bushenyi, Ishaka, Uganda.
authors.forename: Miriam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nansunga
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Kampala International University, P.O. Box 71, Bushenyi, Ishaka, Uganda.
authors.forename: Ambrose
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Barasa
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Kampala International University, P.O. Box 71, Bushenyi, Ishaka, Uganda.
authors.forename: Justus
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Abimana
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, P.O. Box 1410, Mbarara, Uganda. Electronic address: paulalele@must.ac.ug.
authors.forename: Paul E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Alele
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, P.O. Box 7072, Kampala, Uganda.
authors.forename: Josephine
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kasolo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000930:Antidiarrheals / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002368:Castor Oil / Q000633:toxicity; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D005769:Gastrointestinal Motility / Q000187:drug effects; D007928:Lethal Dose 50; D008139:Loperamide / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D016488:Medicine, African Traditional; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000633:toxicity; D018515:Plant Leaves; D018520:Plant Shoots; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D014454:Uganda; D029648:Verbenaceae / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D000930:Antidiarrheals; D010936:Plant Extracts; D008139:Loperamide; D002368:Castor Oil
keywords: Acute toxicity; Antidiarrheal; Murine model; Priva adhaerens