Phytochemical investigation and diuretic activity of the Palestinian rataegus aronia in mice using an aqueous extract

Man used various natural materials as a remedy for the treatment of various diseases and recently witnessed a vastly growing and renewed interest in herbal medicine globally. In Pal-estinian folk medicine, Crataegus aronia is used as diuretics and for the treatment of hyper-tension. This study aimed to evaluate the diuretic effect of the aqueous extracts of this plant in mice after intraperitonial administration. It is an experimental trial applied to mice (n=12 male, CD-1, weight range: [ 25-30] g), which are divided into three groups (4 in each): first group administered with the plant extract (500 mg/kg), the second with normal saline as nega-tive control group and the third with furosemide (10 mg/kg) as positive control. Then, urine output and electrolyte contents were quantified up to 6 hours for the three groups and then compared. Results were analyzed using SPSS program. The aqueous extract of C. aronia produced significant diuresis (p < 0.05). Moreover, aqueous extracts had an acidic PH (6.5125). The aqueous extracts of C. aronia tended an increase in sodium loss compared to the negative control group, but the results were not significant statistically for sodium (P-value 0.068). Our investigations significantly revealed that C. aronia aqueous extract had a potential diuretic effect which can be utilized for the treatment of hypertension and other dis-eases related to diuresis and also for manufacturing natural and safe diuretic drugs.