alloin and danthron

Laxative abuse, if unrecognized, can lead to unnecessary and costly investigations. The stimulants and cathartics are the most commonly abused laxatives and have the potential for causing the most long-term damage. We have optimized a solid-phase extraction coupled with high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) to provide rapid, simple, and sensitive detection of phenolphthalein, danthron, rhein, aloin, and bisacodyl and its metabolites in urine. Positive screens have revealed laxative abuse in 3 of 42 samples from patients presenting with diarrhea of unknown origin.

Topics: Anthraquinones; Bisacodyl; Cathartics; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Emodin; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Phenolphthalein; Phenolphthaleins; Substance-Related Disorders

The effect of aloin and 1,8 dioxyanthraquinone on the release of prostaglandin-like material (PG) from rat isolated colon has been investigated. Orally administered aloin and 1,8 dioxyanthraquinone stimulates PG production by subsequently isolated segments of colon. Indomethacin was able to prevent this increased production of PG. These results suggest that the laxative properties of aloin and 1,8 dioxyanthraquinone may depend, at least in part, on increased prostaglandin synthesis by the intestinal tissue.

Topics: Administration, Oral; Animals; Anthraquinones; Cathartics; Colon; Drug Interactions; Emodin; Indomethacin; Prostaglandins; Rats