Pluchea sagittalis (Lam.) Cabrera, (quitoco or erva lucera) is commonly used to treat digestive disorders in Southern Brazil and countries of the South Cone. The crude aqueous extracts from the leaves, stalks or flowers were used in acute oral toxicity in mice and in pharmacological studies to determine the gastrointestinal transport of water, sodium, and potassium in rats. The oral administration of 5000 mg/kg of extracts examined did not produce signs of intoxication nor induce the death of any mice during the period of 14 days. The extracts from the leaves and stalk have reduced the absorption of water in the jejunum and jejunum and ileum, respectively with relation to the control. There was an absorption of sodium with the administration of these extracts, especially those from the flowers, when compared with that of the control. There was an increase in the absorption of potassium in different parts of the gastrointestinal tract in comparison to that of the control, being increased in most parts with the application of extracts from the stalks. It could be concluded that the extracts from the stalk, leaves and flowers of P. sagittalis have substances that alter the absorptive characteristics of several portions of the gastrointestinal mucosa.
Pluchea; ion transport; gastrointestinal tract absorption; acute toxicity
