B. Greenwood-van Meerveld et al., Anti-diarrhoeal effects of seirogan in the rat small intestine and colon examined in vitro, ALIM PHARM, 13(1), 1999, pp. 97-102
Background: Seirogan is a beechwood extract composed of guaiacol, creosol a
nd other related phenolic compounds which is widely used as an anti-diarrho
eal agent in Asia, Abnormalities in water and electrolyte transport are oft
en the cause of diarrhoea, but the mechanism of action of seirogan on small
intestinal and colonic mucosal ion transport is unknown.
Aim: TO examine the effect of seirogan on electrogenic ion transport in vit
ro.
Methods: Sheets of rat jejunum and colon were mounted in Ussing chambers, a
nd transmural potential difference (PD) was used as an electrical marker of
changes in mucosal ion transport. Hypersecretory conditions were induced b
y acetylcholine (ACh).
Results: Serosal or mucosal application of seirogan (0.1-100 mu g/mL) decre
ased basal jejunal transmural PD, Pre-treatment of the tissue with the neur
otoxin, tetrodotoxin, did not inhibit the seirogan-induced changes in basal
electrical activity. Seirogan had no effect on basal transmural PD in the
ileum and colon, Under ACh-induced hypersecretory conditions in the small i
ntestine and colon, addition of serosal or mucosal seirogan produced antise
cretory effects determined indirectly by measurement of transmural PD.
Conclusion: The ability of seirogan to decrease basal transmural PD in the
jejunum, and inhibit the ACh induced electrical responses, may contribute t
o its antidiarrhoeal action.