Evaluation of the Diuretic Activity of Alocasia macrorrhizos in Rats

Alocasia macrorrhizos (AM) belongs to the family Araceae, different parts of this plant have shown hepatoprotective, anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory action. Though it is traditionally used as a diuretic it needs substantial experimental evidence to support this. Hence we aimed to evaluate the diuretic activity of hydroalcoholic extract of leaves of AM in wistar rats. Acute diuretic activity of hydroalcoholic (50%) extract of leaves of AM (250 mg/kg and 500 mg/kg body weight orally) was studied in saline primed wistar albino rats (n=6). Furosemide (10 mg/kg) orally was used as the standard. Total 24 hours urine volume was measured using metabolic cages. The concentration of Na + , K + in the urine at the end of 24 hours was estimated. Data was analyzed by One-way ANOVA followed by Dunnett test. Hydroalcoholic extract of leaves of AM showed a significant (P < 0.05) dose dependent increase in urine volume (8.1 ± 0.97ml/100g/24hr and 9.7±0.75 ml/100gm/24hr). At 500 mg/kg AM increased the excretion of sodium but decreased the excretion of potassium significantly compared to control. This preclinical study showed a potential diuretic activity but further studies regarding the mechanism of action is required to validate this finding.