Evaluation of safety and protective effects of Potentilla fulgens root extract in experimentally induced diarrhea in mice

AIM: The roots of Potentilla fulgens Wall. ex Hook. (Rosaceae) have been used in the indigenous system of medicine in Northeast India to treat diarrhea. The aim of this study was to investigate the safety and protective effects of P. fulgens root extract in experimentally induced diarrhea in mice. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The protective effects of P. fulgens root extract was investigated against experimentally induced diarrhea in mice, using four experimental models, that is the measurement of fecal output, castor oil model, prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) enteropooling assay, and gastrointestinal transit test. The safety assessment of root extract was done in mice on the basis of general signs and symptoms of toxicity, food water intake and mortality of animals following their treatment with various doses of extract (100-3200 mg/kg). In addition, the serum glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase, serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase, cholesterol and total protein of experimental mice were also monitored to assess the toxicity of root extract. RESULTS: In the safety assessment studies, P. fulgens root extract did not showed any visible signs of toxicity, but mortality was observed in a single animal at 3200 mg/kg dose of extract. The extract also did not showed any adverse effects on the studied serum parameters of experimental animals. In the antidiarrheal tests, administration of 800 mg/kg dose of extract to mice showed 50% protection from diarrhea evoked by castor oil. In addition, the extract also showed 29.27% reduction in PGE2-induced intestinal secretion as compared with 30.31% recorded for loperamide, a standard antidiarrheal drug. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study indicate that P. fulgens root extract possesses significant antidiarrheal properties. Therefore, the roots of this plant can be an effective traditional medicine for protection from diarrhea.