Therapeutic effects of<i>Bombax ceiba</i>flower aqueous extracts against loperamide-induced constipation in mice
Liuping Wang, Shiyuan Xie, Xuan Jiang, Caini Xu, Youqiong Wang, Jianfang Feng, Bin Yang
Abstract
CONTEXT: Linnaeus (Bombacaceae) is known as silk cotton tree, the flowers of which are used in many medicinal applications. OBJECTIVE: flower aqueous extracts (BCE) against loperamide-induced constipation and characterize the chemical composition of BCE. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty male Kunming mice were divided into control (saline), model (10 mg/kg loperamide + saline), phenolphthalein (10 mg/kg loperamide + 10 mg/kg phenolphthalein) and different dosage of BCE (10 mg/kg loperamide + 40, 80 and 160 mg/kg BCE, respectively) groups, and received intragastric administrations for eight days. Faecal water content, number of faeces, first black-stool defecation time and gastrointestinal transit rates were evaluated. Various biochemical and molecular biomarkers were assessed in blood and colon. UPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS was used to tentatively identify the composition of the BCE. RESULTS: were identified in the BCE. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: This study suggested that BCE is a promising agent for the treatment of constipation.