41 and 1.50 ± 0.58) obtained for rats in group 2 as shown in Table

1. As shown in Table 2, castor oil treatment significantly (p < 0.05) increased the number of stools of the rats in the castor oil-treated control group (group 2) [2.50 ± 0.58, 2.00 ± 0.82 and 1.75 ± 1.26] at the first, second and third hours of post-treatment respectively when compared to the values (1.00 ± 0.00, 1.00 ± 0.82 and 0.50 ± 0.58) obtained for rats in group 1 (group treated with vehicle only). The chloroform fraction of the extract at the dose of 200 mg/kg body weight, like the standard anti-muscarinic drug (hyoscine butylbromide), caused a significant (p < 0.05) decrease in the frequency of defaecation of rats in group 7 (0.75 ± 0.50) at the fourth hour of post-treatment when compared to the value (1.50 ± 0.58) obtained for rats in group 2. Castor oil induced significant (p < 0.05) increase in the weight of the BLZ945 cell line intestinal contents of rats in group 2 (3.80 ± 0.16) when compared to the value obtained for rats in group 1 (1.00 ± 0.09) which received only the vehicle. The standard anti-muscarinic drug, hyoscine

Modulators butylbromide (3 mg/kg body weight) caused significant (p < 0.05) reduction in the weight of the intestinal contents of rats in group 3 (1.30 ± 0.12) when compared to the value (3.80 ± 0.16) obtained for rats in the castor oil-treated MS-275 molecular weight control group (group 2). Both fractions of the extract, at the tested doses, except the methanol fraction (100 mg/kg body weight), significantly (p < 0.05) and dose-dependently reduced the weight of the intestinal contents of rats in groups 5, 6 and 7 when compared to that of the rats in the castor oil-treated control group (group 2). This effect was comparable to that obtained with the anti-muscarinic drug in rats of group 3 ( Fig. 1). As shown in Fig. 2, castor oil induced significant (p < 0.05) increase in the volume of the intestinal

contents of rats in group 2 (3.45 ± 0.17) when compared to the value obtained for rats in group 1 which received only the vehicle (0.73 ± 0.05). The standard anti-diarrhoeal agent, hyoscine butylbromide (3 mg/kg body weight) caused significant (p < 0.05) PAK6 reduction in the volume of the intestinal contents of rats in group 3 (1.10 ± 0.09) when compared to the value (3.45 ± 0.17) obtained for rats in the castor oil-treated control group (group 2). Both fractions of the extract, at the tested doses, except the methanol fraction (100 mg/kg body weight), like the standard anti-diarrhoeal agent (hyoscine butylbromide), significantly (p < 0.05) and dose-relatedly reduced the volume of the intestinal contents of rats in groups 5, 6 and 7 when compared to that of the rats in group 2. Acute toxicity test on the chloroform and the methanol fractions of the chloroform–methanol extract of the seeds of P. americana using mice showed an LD50 value of less than 5000 mg/kg body weight for both the methanol and the chloroform fractions which indicates that the seeds of P.