In vivo: |
Pharmacology. 1988;36 Suppl 1:138-43. | New aspects on the metabolism of the sennosides.[Pubmed: 3368512 ] | Pure sennoside B was administered to rats. On appearance of the first wet faeces, sennoside B and its metabolites were determined in different parts of the alimentary tract, in faeces and in the urine.
METHODS AND RESULTS:
The total recovery of unchanged sennoside B and its metabolites was determined by alkali fusion followed by colorimetry and high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). Alkali fusion in 1 N sodium hydroxide solution formed red solutions with sennosides and sennoside derivatives. The molar absorbance of sennosides A and B, sennidin B monoglucoside, sennidins, rhein, danthron, dithranol, Rhein-8-glucoside and rhein anthrone at wavelengths of 505-530 nm related approximately to the number of ionizable hydroxy groups in the molecule. Brown polymerized products were isolated from the senna drug. The colour intensity of these products was approximately the same by weight as that of the sennosides themselves, although sennidins could no longer be freed from these by acid hydrolysis. After administration of sennoside B, the average sum of unchanged glucoside and known metabolites in different parts of the gastrointestinal tract and faeces of rats was 61.6% according to HPLC and 92.8% according to the alkali fusion procedure.
CONCLUSIONS:
This difference is indicative of the presence of substances which are no longer identifiable as sennoside derivatives, either by HPLC or by other classical chromatographic methods. Sennosides seem to be partly present in the alimentary tract in polymerized or bound form. The alkali fusion method may be useful in connection with the isolation of as yet unknown metabolites of the sennosides in the gastrointestinal tract. | Pharmacol Toxicol. 1987 Aug;61(2):153-6. | Laxative potency and acute toxicity of some anthraquinone derivatives, senna extracts and fractions of senna extracts.[Pubmed: 3671329] | This paper investigates the laxative effect and acute toxicity of certain fractions of senna extracts in mice.
METHODS AND RESULTS:
The same tests were also carried out with several pure anthraquinone derivatives common in senna pods. The results show that the laxative and toxic components of senna pods and senna extracts can be separated. The most potent laxative components, sennosides A + B and Fraction V (relative potencies 1 and 0.9 respectively), have the lowest toxicity (relative intravenous toxicities 1 and less than 1).
CONCLUSIONS:
Fractions with very low laxative activity (Rhein-8-glucoside and Fraction IV, relative potencies 0.56 and 0.05) have the highest acute toxicity (relative toxicities 10 and 32 respectively). |
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