RESUMEN
CONTEXT: Bombax ceiba Linnaeus (Bombacaceae) is known as silk cotton tree, the flowers of which are used in many medicinal applications. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the therapeutic effect of B. ceiba flower aqueous extracts (BCE) against loperamide-induced constipation and characterize the chemical composition of BCE. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty male Kunming mice were divided into control (saline), model (10 mg/kg loperamide + saline), phenolphthalein (10 mg/kg loperamide + 10 mg/kg phenolphthalein) and different dosage of BCE (10 mg/kg loperamide + 40, 80 and 160 mg/kg BCE, respectively) groups, and received intragastric administrations for eight days. Faecal water content, number of faeces, first black-stool defecation time and gastrointestinal transit rates were evaluated. Various biochemical and molecular biomarkers were assessed in blood and colon. UPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS was used to tentatively identify the composition of the BCE. RESULTS: BCE treatment (160 mg/kg) could increase faecal water (15.75%), faeces number (11.65%), gastrointestinal transit rate (25.37%) and decrease first black-stool defecation time (24.04%). The BCE (80 mg/kg) increased the serum level of motilin (30.62%), gastrin (54.46%) and substance P (18.99%), and decreased somatostatin (19.47%). Additionally, the BCE (160 mg/kg) reduced the mucosal damage, restored colonic goblet cell function, down-regulated the protein expression of AQP3 (33.60%) and increased c-kit protein expression (11.63%). Twelve known compounds, including protocatechuic acid, chlorogenic acid and rutin, previously reported in B. ceiba, were identified in the BCE. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: This study suggested that BCE is a promising agent for the treatment of constipation.