FORMULATION OF Ocimum gratissimum LEAVES EXTRACT SUSPENSION AND EVALUATION OF ITS ANTIDIARRHEAL AND HAEMATOLOGICAL ACTIVITY ON ALBINO WISTAR RATS
AMARACHI CHUKWUMA OFFOR1, TOYOSI DEBORAH ADEBOLA2, MAGNUS ONWUZURUIGBO2
- Department of Pharmaceutics and Industrial Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Madonna University Elele, Nigeria.
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, Madonna University, Elele, Nigeria..
Afr. J Pharm Res Dev; Volume 17(3):370-376 ; 2025
ABSTRACT
Diarrhoea is the third leading cause of death in children less than 5years according to the World Health Organisation (W.H.O) 2021. Its major complications are dehydration and malnutrition. This has necessitated the need for affordable, readily available sources of anti-diarrhoea medications from natural sources, especially in developing countries. Ocimum gratissimum leaves, known as African basil is widely available in Nigeria. They were macerated in ethanol for 3days with intermediate agitation, filtered, and concentrated. The extract was subjected to LD50 to ensure its safe concentration for the formulation of suspensions. Suspension was formulated using standard procedure and maintaining good manufacturing practise (GMP). Diarrhoea was induced using castor oil and gastro-enteric bacteria E. coli separately. A pilot study showed 0.8 mL of E. coli broth as the least colony on an EMB agar plate to infect the rats. The suspensions were formulated using 0.5 %w/v and 1.25 %w/v of the Ocimum gratissimum leaves extract. Group C and D contained standard loperamide and normal saline, respectively. The results, only formulation A and B containing 0.5 % w/v and 1.25 % w/v of the Ocimum gratissimum extract showed 78.9 % and 89.5 % faeces inhibition when compared with the standard loperamide (Group C), which had the least frequent stool with 84.4 % faeces inhibition, while Group D had 0 % faeces inhibition. Haematological analysis of the albino rats showed increased platelet count, prominent in group D. It could be due to the increased diarrhoea and suggests the relationship of diarrhoea and thrombocytosis, if left untreated, could lead to blood clotting. Parameters of group A and B are comparable with the negative control, as there was no significant difference using statistical methods. These results show that Ocimum gratissimum leaves extract at 1.25 % w/v is a suitable alternative in the treatment of diarrhoea caused by gastro-enteric bacteria and it is safe.
Keywords: Ocimum gratissimum, Anti-diarrhoea, E. coli, Loperamide, Suspension
Email of correspondence: peter.uduak@bingham.edu.ng,;
https://doi.org/10.59493/ajopred/2025.3.13 ISSN: 0794-800X (print); 1596-2431 (online)