ON THE MECHANISM OF DIARRHEA DUE TO CASTOR OIL

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Abstract
When 5 or 15 g of castor oil was administered orally, the guinea pigs were purged slightly. The pH of the alimentary tract''s content was identical to that of a normal animal. The acid value of the feces increased gradually, becoming highest at the end of 24 hours and returning to normal after 72 hours. The total amount of free fatty acid in the feces was almost constant (160 mg). Castor oil was split to liberate free fatty acid by the presence of lipase, bile, and water, though its hydrolysis was limited. Sodium ricinoleate began to liberate ricinoleic acid at pH 7.5 and liberated it perfectly at pH under 7.1. Castor oil had no effect on the alimentary tract. Ricinoleic acid had various effects on its serosa, but almost no effect on the mucosa. Sodium ricinoleate had various effects on the serosa, but induced contraction only on the mucosa. Bile, applied to the serosa of the small intestine, induced its relaxation. However, 10 mg/ml of sodium ricinoleate, applied to that intestine, induced contraction. Bile, applied to the mucosa, had almost no effect on it. The combined action of bile and sodium ricinoleate was weaker than the single action of the latter. Sodium ricinoleate, poured into the duodenal canal, induced the contraction of the small intestine and the cecum, but did not induce the contraction of the colon in many cases. The purgative effect may be due to the motor stimulation of the small intestine and the cecum induced by the sodium ricinoleate, and may also be due to the facility of the passage of feces induced by oily quality of castor oil.

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