ABSTRACT
The present study describes the antispasmodic activity of some fractions from the bark of Persea cordata, against guinea pig ileum contracted by acetylcholine and histamine. Hexane and dichloromethane fractions demonstrated the most promising biological effects, having similar potency to that of papaverine, a well-known antispasmodic agent.
Subject(s)
Ileum/drug effects , Muscle Contraction/drug effects , Parasympatholytics/pharmacology , Persea , Phytotherapy , Plant Extracts/pharmacology , Acetylcholine , Animals , Dose-Response Relationship, Drug , Guinea Pigs , Histamine , Parasympatholytics/administration & dosage , Parasympatholytics/therapeutic use , Plant Bark , Plant Extracts/administration & dosage , Plant Extracts/therapeutic useABSTRACT
This paper describes the antioedematogenic profile of marrubiin (1), the main constituent of Marrubium vulgare, a medicinal plant used in folk medicine of several countries to treat different pathologies. Compound (1) was analyzed in a model of microvascular leakage in mice ears. The results show that it exhibits significant and dose-related antioedematogenic effects. The results obtained for ID50 values (mg/kg, i.p.) and maximal inhibition (%) for the different phlogistic agents used were as follows: histamine (HIS, 13.84 mg/kg and 73.7%); (BK, 18.82 mg/kg and 70.0%); carrageenan (CAR, 13.61 mg/kg and 63.0%). The other phlogistic agonists, such as prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), caused inhibition of less than 50%. In addition, (1) (100 mg/kg) significantly inhibited the OVO-induced allergic edema in actively sensitized animals (maximal inhibition 67.6+/-4%). Our results demonstrate that the systemic administration of marrubiin exerts a non-specific inhibitory effect on pro-inflammatory agent-induced microvascular extravasation of Evans blue in mouse ear.