Effects of Artemisia dracunculus essential oil on diarrhea and intestinal transit time in rat gastrointestinal tract

Introduction: Artemisia dracunculus L. belongs to Asteraceae family, and is a medicinal plant widely used in traditional medicine as a remedy for gastrointestinal disturbances. This study was undertaken to evaluate the effects of essential oil of A. dracunculus (EOAD) on the rat alimentary tract. Methods: The EOAD was extracted by Clevenger apparatus using hydrodistillation. LD50 was calculated based on the Lorke’s method. The effects of EOAD (50–125 mg/kg) on intestinal transit time and diarrhea were investigated in adult Wistar rats. EOAD was administered via oral route. For antidiarrheal effect evaluation, castor oil (2 mL/rat) was administered intragastrically 30 min after EOAD (50-100 mg/kg) treatments and loperamide (3 mg/kg). The rat cages were inspected hourly up to 4 hours for the presence of the characteristic diarrheal droppings, start time of diarrhea, weight of stool, and the number of stool plates. Results: The LD50 was 707.10 mg/kg. EOAD significantly inhibited intestinal motility at 125 mg/kg dose (P<0.05). EO inhibitory effect was significantly (P<0.05) enhanced with simultaneous atropine. Castor oil caused diarrhea in all animals in the control group in 93.83± 4.81 min. EOAD inhibited the castor oil-induced diarrhea at 75 and 100 mg/kg doses. The EOAD delayed the onset of diarrhea, and produced a significant decrease in the frequency of defecation as well as severity of diarrhea. It also protected the rats against diarrhea. In comparison with loperamid, the reference antidiarrheal agent, the higher dose of EOAD demonstrated the same effective protection as castor oil-induced diarrhoea. Conclusion: These primary data indicated that the plant contains antidiarrheal constituents, which support the popular therapeutic use of A. dracunculus for gastrointestinal disorders in traditional medicine.