Evaluation of Anti-diarrhoeal and Anti-ulcer Properties of Fractions of Triumfetta cordifolia A. Rich (Tiliaceae) Fruit in rats

Triumfetta cordifolia fruit is said to have many ethnobotanical uses, among them is their use in gastrointestinal disorders. The aim of the work is to investigate the antidiarrhoeal and antiulcerogenic properties of the fruit fractions in rats. The crude ethanol extract was dissolved in distilled water and partitioned with n-hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate and n-butanol. 50 mg/kg of each of the fractions was investigated for antidiarrhoeal and antiulcerogenic effects in rats. Yohimbine, cimetidine and propranolol were used as positive controls. The fractions of the fruit, showed varying significant (p 0.001), degrees of antidiarrhoeal and antiulcerogenic effects. It was observed that n-butanol and aqueous fractions had more effects on experimentally- induced ulcers and diarrhoea than chloroform and n-hexane fractions. The results on experimentally - induced ulcer and diarrhoeal models showed that the fractions possess these properties. These effects may in part be due to their actions on cholinergic and adrenergic mechanisms as well as their secondary metabolites.