CHOLERETIC EFFECT OF THE EXTRACT FROM CALENDULA OFFICINALIS / Монголын эм зүй, эм судлал

ABSTRACT

Choleretic activity of Calendula officinalis extract and its butanol fraction was studied and the results are presented in the given paper. It has been established that the choleretic effect of the extract from this plant is due to biologically active substances predominantly contained in its butanol fraction.Key words extract of Calendula officinalis, butanol fraction, choleretic effect.Introduction The use of medicinal plants both wild-growing and cultivated ones for the correction of impaired functions of the human body remains topical. The plants are the optimal source of cholagogues as they are harmless or low-toxic and have no side effects in long-term use [1]. Particularly, Calendula officinalis L. (Compositae) is of great interest. It is an annual grassy plant cultivated in many regions of Russia.The aim of the present work was to determine choleretic activity of the extract from Calendula officinalis and its butanol fraction.Materials and methodsThe dry extract was derived from Calendula flowers by extraction with 60% alcohol. The study of butanol fraction (BF) composition of the given extract was carried out with the use of microcolumn RP-HPLC-UV [2, 3]. The obtained fraction yield was 35-40% of the total dry extract mass.Experiments were carried out on white male Wistar rats weighing 170-200g. The bile was obtained from rats under thiopental sodium narcosis in accordance with the standard method (40 mg/kg of the weight, intraperitoneally). The bile was collected every hour for 4 hours. The power of choleretic activity of the obtained extract was estimated according to the secretion rate and total amount of the bile secreted as well as according to the content of the main ingredients in the bile, namely bilirubin [4], bile acids and officinalis was introduced into duodenum of experimental animals at three doses 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg of the rat weight and the butanol fraction – at the dose of 50 mg/kg. The animals of the control group received purified water in the same volume. The significance of differences between parameters across the groups was estimated with the use of U distribution-free test by Mann-Whitney.ResultsThe data obtained are given in Table 1-2. The introduction of the Calendula dry extract to the rats at the dose of 50 mg/kg increases the bile secretion rate by 16% and in the next hours of the experiment – by 37.5 and 44%. The increase of the dose up to 100 mg/kg induced more marked stimulation of choleretic reaction in rats. The bile secretion rate increased by 28, 35 and 44% in 2-4 hours of the experiment respectively followed by the 35% increase of the total volume of secreted bile. When the extract was administered at the dose of 200 mg/kg the bile secretion rate exceeded the control data by 33 and 36%. Under the influence of the Calendula extract the choleretic reaction lasted during the whole period of the experiment. Besides, the Calendula extract at the given doses influenced the stimulation of synthesis and excretion of cholates with bile that was more marked at the dose of 100 mg/kg. The introduction of the butanol fraction in the given dose increased the bile secretion rate by 27, 47 and 44% respectively in 1-3 hours after the administration; the total volume of secreted bile was 39% increased. The sum concentration of bile acids in the bile exceeded this index in rats of the control group by 16%. The cholesterol content in the bile exceeded the given index in animals of the control group by 55%.