Evaluations of the in vivo laxative effects of aqueous root extracts of Euclea racemosa L. in mice

BACKGROUND: Management of constipation with currently available modern medicines is costly and chances of side effects are high. This limits their clinical usefulness and remain to be solved, and calls for investigations of new and better compounds. The experimental plant, Euclea racemosa L. (E. racemosa L) is among plants, which are used for management of constipation traditionally but its effect is not yet experimentally validated. Therefore, the aim of the present study is to investigate the laxative effects of this plant. METHODS: The laxative effects of aqueous root extracts of E. racemosa L. were evaluated using gastrointestinal motility, laxative activity, and gastrointestinal secretion tests. RESULTS: In the laxative test, the 200 and 400 mg/kg doses of plant extract showed a significant increase in percent fecal water content. The plant extract also significantly accelerated the charcoal meal in gastrointestinal motility test of loperamide-constipated mice. Moreover, the experimental plant produced significant Gastrointestinal (GI) transit ratio at all doses but failed to produce a significantly higher fluid accumulation except 400 mg/kg doses of extract in gastrointestinal secretion test. The observed effect of the aqueous root extract might be due to the presence of secondary metabolites. The aqueous root extract of E. racemosa L. revealed the presence of terpenes, saponins, flavonoids and phenols when it was subjected to phytochemical screening. CONCLUSION: The investigation obtained from this study suggested that E. racemosa L. has a beneficial effect in producing laxative effect and this substantiate the traditional use of the plant for its claimed indication.