Acute Toxicity and In vivo Antidiarrhoeal Activity of Ethanol Extract and Fractions of Ipomoea triloba by Model Infection and Protection Tests in Mice against Selected Clinical Diarrhoeagenic Bacterial Isolates

Aim: This research work was aimed at investigating the acute toxicity and in vivo antidiarrhoeal activity of the extracts and fractions of Ipomoea triloba, a plant used locally for the treatment of acute infectious diarrhoea in order to investigate its safety profile.

Study Design: 20 diarrhoeaic Clinical stool samples were collected and implicating organisms were isolated.

Place and Duration of Study: Department of Pharmaceutical Microbiology and Biotechnology, University of Uyo AkwaIbom State, South-South Nigeria between May 2021-December, 2022.

Methodology: Antibiogram, Plasmid curing and Intraperitoneal assay of acute toxicity and mouse protection test of the ethanol extract of plant were carried out on the bacterial-diarrhoeaic isolates.

Results: Antibiogram by the agar-diffusion technique indicated a predominant resistance by the isolates. Plasmid curing assessment for antidiarrhoeal activity indicated a predominantly plasmid-borne resistance. Combined antidiarrhoeal activity of the ethanol extract and fractions of Ipomoea triloba with standard antibiotic (tetracycline), assessed by the activity index profile (AIP), showed a reduction in the in antagonistic activity and an increase in protective efficacy after plasmid curing. Acute toxicity (LD50) assay in albino mice (15.0-18-0 g body weight) indicated that the ethanol extract of Ipomoea triloba showed relative non-toxicity with an estimated value of 946.68 mg/kg body weight. In vivo antidiarrhoeal activity and protection efficacy of the ethanol extract assayed by mouse protection test (MPT) infection model offered appreciable (50.0 - 83.3%) protection to the bacterial-diarrhoeaic isolates challenged mice, compared with the relatively moderate (33.3 - 50.0%) protection by the control.

Conclusion: There is need for further studies to elucidate the active principles responsible for the antidiarrhoeal activity of Ipomoea triloba in order to establish its structure activity relationship, this then can be introduced into the treatment regimen as a plausible remedy against acute hypersecretory infectious diarrhoea because of its safety profile which has been established in this work.