A COMPARATIVE STUDY ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF CAIMITO BARK EXTRACT (CHRYSOPHYLLUM CAINITO) AS AN ANTIDIARRHEAL AGENT AGAINST A STANDARD DRUG (ATROPINE SULFATE) ON DUPHALAC (LACTULOSE) INDUCED DIARRHEA ON SWISS MICE

The caimito bark crude extract is measurably effective as an antidiarrheal drug, upon administration to the test animals. The standard drug Atropine. Sulfate was used to compare the effectiveness of caimito bark extract. Different phases of the study in the experimental process were applied namely: standardization of the test animal, effectively testing of caimito bark extract by performing approximate lethal dose, and most significantly the biological testing the process of administering caimito bark extract intraperitoneally, to experimental animals with induced and non induced diarrhea and followed by actual observation of the different parameters. The experimental animals were grouped into two sets, the baseline without diarrhea and the experimental with induced diarrhea. The following solutions were administered, normal saline, Atropine sulfate, caimito bark extract and Duphalac (Lactulose) on both set, baseline and experimental. After two hours of observation, activated charcoal was administeres, after the expected time it was supposed to travel to the small intestine, the mice were cervically dislocated and stomach was opened up for measurement. The results revealed a significant correlation between the distance traveled by the caimito bark extract and that traveled by Atropine sulfate.

Department of Pharmacology