Protective Role of Sphaeranthus Amaranthoides Against Antidiarrhoeal, Antibacterial and Antipyretic Activity in Wister Rats-Using of Column Cromotography Extract and Lorke Method

Consumption of medicinal herbs is tremendously increasing in order to identify alternative approaches to improve the quality of life and maintain a good health for the past 10 years. Antibiotics provide the main basis for the therapy of bacterial infections. The preliminary phytochemical study, in vitro antibacterial activity and antidiarrhoeal activity of the ethanolic extract of Spheranthus amaranthoides having ethnomedicinal uses were investigated. The preliminary phytochemical analysis of the extracts revealed the presence of flavonoids, carbohydrate, tannins, saponins, steroids, glycosides, terpenoids and alkaloids. The extracts were subjected for screening of in vitro antibacterial activity against selected major disease causing pathogens viz. Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus mirabilis, Enterococcus faecalis and Escherichia coli at the concentrations of 50, 100, 200, and 400μg/ml by disc diffusion assay method. The results of antibacterial activity revealed good inhibitory activity against all the tested pathogens. Spheranthus amaranthoides also caused a significant (p<0.001) castor oil induced antidiarrhoeal effect in rats. The results suggest that these activites might be due to the presence of the potent phytochemicals in the extract of Spheranthtus amaranthoides. But despite effort to maintain good health, man and animals alike still confront disease conditions which are due to exposure to physiopathological agent and medicinal plants such as Sphaeranthus amaranthoides can be used as a therapeutic agent.
The present investigation clearly reveals the antibacterial nature of this plant and suggests that this plant could be exploited in the management of diseases caused by these bacteria in human. Further ethanolic extract of SPA in graded doses reduced diarrhoea and thereby lending support to use SPN in folklore medicine against chronic diarrhea. The phytochemical analysis revealed that the active principle, which is a phenolic compound present in the ethanolic extract of SPA is thus responsible for the antibacterial and antidiarroheal activity. So it has become expedient to examine scientifically the protective effects of these herbal plants and thus there has been a continuing search for new and more potent antibiotics (Heisig, 2001). Therefore there is an increased need for research in the investigations on plants as a source of human disease management (Aiyelagabe et al. 2000; Mouniswamy et al. 2002; Woldemichael et al. 2003. In addition, The ethanol extract of sphaeranthus amaranthoides was investigated for antipyretic activity in rats using yeast. In rats, yeast (20 ml/kg body weight, s.c) caused elevation of rectal temperature of 0.50°c 18h after administration.The extract (100 and 200 mg/kg body weight, s.c) produced a significant (p<0.05) dose dependent inhibition of temperature elevation.). It is also observed that the role of mathematical models in biological and clinical research is vital in nature to ensure the accuracy and the effectiveness of the drug developed.