title: Effect ofFerula assa-foetidaoleo-gum-resin on renal function in normal Wistar rats.
abstract: In traditional Iranian medicine, asafoetida, an oleo-gum-resin obtained from the roots of Ferula assa-foetida, has been prescribed as a diuretic. This study was undertaken to investigate the diuretic effect of asafoetida in normal rats. Asafoetida was administered orally at the doses of 25 and 50 mg/kg and furosemide (10 mg/kg, intraperitoneal) was used as positive control. The diuretic effect was evaluated by measuring urine volume and sodium, potassium, urea, and creatinine content in urine and serum. Urine volume, excretion of sodium, and potassium were significantly increased by asafoetida as compared to the control group. A significant increase in creatinine clearance was observed in the groups treated with asafoetida at the doses of 25 and 50 mg/kg (P< 0.05). We conclude that asafoetida induced a diuretic effect comparable to that produced by the reference diuretic furosemide. This study provides a quantitative basis for explaining the folkloric use of asafoetida as a diuretic agent.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology/Herbal Medicine Research Center, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran.
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Bagheri
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology/Herbal Medicine Research Center, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mohammadsadeghi
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology/Herbal Medicine Research Center, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran.
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Dashti-R
authors.affiliation: Department of Natural Resources and Watershed, Tabas, Iran.
authors.forename: S M M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Mousavian
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology/Herbal Medicine Research Center, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran.
authors.forename: Z A
authors.initials: ZA
authors.lastname: Aghaei
keywords: Asafoetida; Ferula assa-foetida; diuretic activity; furosemide; medicinal plant