Antidiarrheal and Antibacterial Activities of Hydroalcoholic Extracts of Salvia Schimperi Benth from Ethiopia

In Ethiopian folk medicine, aqueous decoction of the leaves of Salvia schimperi is used for treatments of various ailments including diarrhea, however, to date, there appear to have been no reports on the phytochemistry, the antidiarrhoeal and the antimicrobial activity of the plant. In this study, the hydroalcoholic extract of the leaves of S. schimperi was evaluated for its antidiarrheal and antibacterial activities against castor oil induced diarrhoea in mice and six clinically isolated enteric bacterial pathogens using standard agar diffusion methods, respectively. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of the extracts were also determined using microdilution method. The extract exerted significant and dose related antidiarrhoeal activity when compared to the control and the standard drug, loperamide.The extract displayed highest antidiarroeal activity at a dose of 400 mg/kg which is comparable with that of the standard drug loperamide. The extract also showed moderate antibacterial effects against most of the test microorganisms except S. typhimurium. Phytochemical analysis of the extract reaveled the presence of polyphenoic compounds such as flavonoids and tannins among others. The present study supports the folkloric use of the plant for the treatment of diarrhoeal diseases INTRODUCTION: Diarrhea is an alteration in the normal bowel movement, characterized by increased frequency of bowel sound and movement, wet stool, and abdominal pain. Clinically, it is used to describe increased liquidity of stool, usually associated with increased stool weight and frequency. Regardless of the understanding causes, treatment and prevention of diarrheal diseases, an estimated 4.6 million people, with 2.5 million children, die from diarrhea every year, particularly in developing countries. QUICK RESPONSE CODE DOI: 10.13040/IJPSR.0975-8232.IJP.2(6).290-95 Article can be accessed online on: www.ijpjournal.com DOI link: http://dx.doi.org/10.13040/IJPSR.0975-8232.IJP.2(6).290-95 Diarrhea, may be acute orchronic. Acute diarrhea being the most common, is usually caused by an infectious agent, even though drugs, poisons or acute inflammatory reactions can contribute a lot. Now a days, rotavirus is the major causative agent for infectious diarrhea, particularly in young children, however, other viral (adenovirus, enterovirus and norovirus), bacterial (Escherichia coli, Salmonella sp., Shigella sp., Camphylobacter and Vibrio cholerae) and parasitic (Cryptosporidium and Giardia) agents are important pathogens 1-3 . Oral Rehydration Therapy (ORT) is considered life-saving in the management diarrhea specially in children, although it does not reduce the volume or duration of diarrhea. Likely, antibiotics and gut motility suppressing agents bid the other treatment