Effects of Dates Pulp Extract and Palm Sap (<em>Phoenix dactylifera</em> L.) on Gastrointestinal Transit Activity in Healthy Rats

Abdellaziz Souli

Hichem Sebai

Kaïs Rtibi

Latifa Chehimi

Mohsen Sakly

Mohamed Amri

Jamel El-Benna

^{Laboratoire de Nutrition et Physiologie Animale, Institut Supérieur de Biotechnologie de Béja, Avenue Habib Bourguiba, Béja, Tunisia.}

^{Laboratoire de Neurophysiologie Fonctionnelle et Pathologies, Département des Sciences Biologiques, Faculté des Sciences de Tunis, Campus Universitaire El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia.}

^{Laboratoire de Physiologie Intégrée, Faculté des Sciences de Bizerte, Jarzouna, Tunisia.}

^{INSERM U773 Centre de Recherche Biomédicale, Faculté de Médecine X, , Paris, France.}

^{Corresponding author.}

Address correspondence to: Hichem Sebai, PhD, Laboratoire de Physiologie Intégrée, Département des Sciences de la Vie, Faculté des Sciences de Bizerte, 7021 Zarzouna, Tunisia, E-mail:rf.oohay@mehcihiabes

Received 2012 Sep 2; Accepted 2014 Jan 3.

Abstract

The current study was performed to measure the chemical composition and the effects of dates pulp extract and palm sap on gastrointestinal transit (GIT) activity in healthy adult rats. In this respect, male Wistar rats fasted for 24 hours were used and received per orally (p.o.) sodium chloride (NaCl) (0,9%) (control group) or various doses of dates pulp extract (150 and 300 mg/kg, body weight [b.w.]) and palm sap (0.4 and 4 mL/kg, b.w.). Two other groups of rats (batch tests) received, respectively, clonidine (an alpha-2 adrenergic agonist, 1 mg/kg, b.w.) and yohimbine (an alpha-2 adrenergic antagonist, 2mg/kg, b.w.). Chemical analysis showed that the dates pulp extract is more rich in sugars and minerals, especially potassium and sucrose, as compared with palm sap composition. On the other hand, in vivo study showed that the aqueous dates pulp extract significantly, and dose dependently, increased the GIT activity while the palm sap slightly increased it. Moreover, a converse effect has been observed using clonidine (decreased 68%) and yohimbine (increased 33%) on the GIT activity. These findings suggest that dates pulp extract and palm sap have a stimulating effect on GIT activity in rats and confirm their use in traditional Tunisian medicine for the treatment of constipation.

Key Words: : dates pulp, GIT activity, minerals, palm sap, rat, sugars

Abstract

Footnotes

^{The first two authors contributed equally to this work.}

Footnotes

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