title: Gastrokinetic activity of Amorphophallus paeoniifolius tuber in rats.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The tuber of Amorphophallus paeoniifolius (Family-Araceae), commonly called suran or jimikand, has medicinal and food value. It is used in ethnomedicinal practices for correction of gastrointestinal disturbances such as constipation and hemorrhoids. The present study evaluated the effect of A. paeoniifolius tuber on gastrointestinal motor functions.
  
  
  METHODS
  The tuber was collected in December 2011, and its methanolic extract was standardized with the major phenolic compound, betulinic acid, by high-performance liquid chromatography. Rats were orally administered methanolic (APME) or aqueous (APAE) extract (250 and 500 mg/kg, each) of tuber for 7 days. Metoclopramide (MET) (3 mg/kg, orally) was used a reference prokinetic drug. The gastrointestinal parameters viz. number of feces, wet and dry weight and moisture content of feces, gastric emptying, and intestinal transit were evaluated. The isolated tissue preparations were used to check the effect of the extracts on fundus and intestinal contractility. The glucomannan and total phenolic and flavonoid contents were determined spectrophotometrically.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The pre-treatment of extracts significantly increased the number of feces, wet and dry weight of feces, moisture content, gastric emptying, and intestinal transit. Results were comparable to MET. Further, APME and APAE showed a contraction of fundus and ileum in isolated preparations. APME and APAE were also found to have fair amount of glucomannan, total phenolics, and flavonoids. The results indicate the gastrokinetic potential of the tuber extracts. This may be attributed to the presence of glucomannan and betulinic acid present in the extracts.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In conclusion, the tuber of A. paeoniifolius exhibits gastrokinetic activity and substantiates its traditional use in gastrointestinal motor disturbances.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, National Research Institute for Ayurveda-Siddha Human Resource Development, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, India and Centre for Advanced Research in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shobhit University, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India.
authors.forename: Yadu Nandan
authors.initials: YN
authors.lastname: Dey
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, Government Kamla Raja Girls Post Graduate (Autonomous) College, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, India.
authors.forename: Shivani
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mahor
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, UCSI University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Centre for Advanced Research in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shobhit University, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India.
authors.forename: Dharmendra
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, National Research Institute for Ayurveda-Siddha Human Resource Development, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, India.
authors.forename: Manish
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wanjari
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Sudesh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gaidhani
authors.affiliation: Department of Dravyaguna Vigyan, National Research Institute for Ayurveda-Siddha Human Resource Development, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, India.
authors.forename: Ankush
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jadhav
keywords: Betulinic acid; gastric emptying; glucomannan; intestinal transit; jimikand