The document provides an overview of saline cathartics, which are substances that accelerate defecation and alleviate constipation, highlighting their mechanisms and classifications, including stimulant, bulk-forming, emollient, and saline cathartics. It discusses their effects, actions, and clinical uses, particularly in patients with conditions like hemorrhoids, hypertension, and acute constipation. Additionally, magnesium sulfate (Epsom salt) is introduced as a specific saline cathartic along with its preparation and uses.

1. GASTRO INTESTINAL AGENT
SALINE CATHARTICS
PROF. TAUFIK MULLA
ASST. PROFESSOR
DEPT. OF PHARMACEUTICS
SPBC COLLEGE OF PHARMACY

2. INTRODUCTION
 Saline means salt ( a inorganic compound having salt)
 Cathartic is a substance that accelerates defecation.
 Saline cathartics means a drug which relieve constipation and support defecation.
 Defecation is the final act of digestion, by which organisms eliminate solid, semisolid, or liquid waste material
from the digestive tract via the anus. Humans expel feces with a frequency varying from a few times daily to a
few times weekly.
 Laxatives - drug which support the elimination of soft formed feces
 Purgatives – drug which produce a more fluid evacuation(discharge from body).
 Laxatives, Purgatives are substances that loosen stools and increase bowel movements. They are used to treat and
prevent constipation

3. INTRODUCTION
 Cathartics are used for:
 to ease defecation (difficulty in defecation) in patients with painful hemorrhoids (a swollen vein or group of veins
in the region of the anus.) or other rectal disorders (constipation, colon cancer) and to avoid excessive straining
(excess labor work, excess stretching) and increase in abdominal pressure in patients with hernias
 to avoid potentially hazardous rise in B.P. during defecation in patients with hypertension, cerebral coronary or
other arterial disease
 to relieve acute constipation
 to remove solid material from intestinal tract

4. INTRODUCTION
 Constipation is relieved by non therapeutic measures like increasing the fiber content of daily diet intake or
increase daily fluid intake.
 If it fails the laxatives and purgatives are used.
 The intensity of their action depends on dose.
 Laxatives eliminates soft semisolid stool and the purgative lead to watery evacuation.
 Laxative should only be used for short term therapy as continuously use leads to loss of natural bowl function
upon which normal evacuation depends, causing patient to become dependent on laxatives, the so called laxative
effect.

5. INTRODUCTION
 Constipation is the infrequent or difficult evacuation of the feces.
 It may be due to a person resisting the natural function to defecate, causing the fecal material which remains in
the colon to lose fluid and to become relatively dry and hard.
 Constipation can also be due to intestinal atony (losing strength of muscle), intestinal spasm (contraction of
muscle), emotions, drugs and diet.

6. CLASSIFICATION
MECHANISM ACTION
 Saline cathartics are the salt of poorly absorbed anion or cation.
 Saline indicate certain compound of salt of sodium and magnesium.
Classification :
 Stimulant
 Bulk forming
 Emollient
 Saline cathartics

7. STIMULANT
 Stimulants act by local irritation on the intestinal tract.
 Drug increase peristaltic activity ( wave-like muscle contractions
which move food through the digestive tract. It starts in the
esophagus where strong wave-like motions of the smooth muscle
move balls of swallowed food to the stomach).
 They include phenolphthalein, aloin, cascara extract, rhubarb
extract, senna extract, podophyllin, castor oil, bisacodyl, calomel
etc

8. BULK FORMING
 Bulk forming laxatives are made from cellulose, sodium
carboxyl methyl cellulose and karaya gum
 It acts on intestinal luminal and it’s a Hydrophilic in nature.
 Indigestible vegetable fibres which stimulate peristalsis .
 Peristalsis produce defecation reflexes by increasing the fecal
bulk due to their water absorbing and retaining capacity.
 Administered with plenty of water

9. EMOLLIENT
 The emollient laxatives act either as lubricants facilitating the passage of compacted fecal material or as
stool softeners.
 E.g. mineral oil
 Pharmacologically inert mineral oils. It acts on intestinal lumen.
 It is fecal lubricants and stool softener by decreasing the water absorption from the stools. e.g. liquid
paraffin
 15-30ml / day at bed time

10. SALINE CATHARTICS
 Saline cathartics act by increasing the osmotic load of the GIT by absorbing large quantity of water and
ultimately stimulate peristalsis.
 They are salts of poorly absorbable anions –H2PO4- (biphosphate), -HPO42- (phosphate), sulphates,
tartrates, and soluble magnesium salt.
 Saline cathartics are water soluble and are taken with large quantities of water.
 This prevents excessive loss of water from body fluids and reduces nausea vomiting if a too hypertonic
solution should reach the stomach.
 They act in the intestine and a full cathartic dose produces a water evacuation within 3-6 hrs. Because of
their quick onset of action they are given early in the morning before breakfast.

11. MAGNESIUM SULPHATE
 Chemical formula – MgSO4 Molecular weight – 246.5
 Synonym – Epsom salt
 Properties –
 Color – small in size colorless crystal
 Odor – odorless
 Taste – cooling saline bitter taste
 Solubility – freely soluble in water. Slightly soluble in alcohol

12.  Method of preparation –
It is prepared by reaction sulphuric acid with magnesium carbonate or magnesium oxide.
MgCO3 + H2SO4 MgSO4 + H2O + CO2
 Uses -
 Used as oral saline cathartics
 Should not given to renal impaired patient
 Used as antidote for barium, barbiturates types of poisoning
 Used in hypertension and convulsion