Myorelaxant and antispasmodic effect of an aqueous extract of <i>Artemisia campestris</i> L. via calcium channel blocking and anticholinergic pathways

Abstract

Intestinal spasms are violent contractions that occur in the intestine, which cause discomfort to people who have them. Medicinal plants are widely used in traditional Moroccan medicine to treat these problems, among these being Artemisia campestris L. This study aims to evaluate the relaxant and antispasmodic effects of an aqueous extract of this plant (ACAE). It was performed in vitro on isolated segments of both isolated rat and rabbit jejunum mounted in an organ bath and tension recordings made via an isotonic transducer. ACAE caused a myorelaxant effect on baseline rabbit jejunum contractions in a dose-dependent and reversible manner with an IC 50 of 1.52 ± 0.12 mg/ml. This extract would not act via adrenergic receptors pathway. On the other hand, the extract caused a dose-dependent relaxation of the jejunum tone in rat jejenum segments pre-contracted with either Carbachol (CCh; 10 −6 M) or high K + (KCl 75 mM) with an IC 50 = 0.49 ± 0.02 mg/ml and 0.36 ± 0.02 mg/ml respectively. In the presence of different doses of the extract, the maximum response to CCh and CaCl 2 was significantly reduced. This demonstrates that ACAE acts on both muscarinic receptors and voltage-dependent calcium channels. Thus, the plant extract acted on both muscarinic and nicotinic receptors and acts on the guanylate cyclase pathway, but not the nitric oxide pathway. These results indicate the mechanism by which Artemisia campestris L. acts as an effective antispasmodic agent in traditional Moroccan medicine.

Antispasmodic and Relaxant Effects of Thymus algeriensis Dichloromethane fraction on Intestinal Smooth Muscle Motility of Wistar rats

“…This effect was also observed in previous studies with fractions of other plants. 16,21,22 TaDF exerted the most significant relaxing effect on spontaneous contractions compared to the other fractions of the plant, with a complete inhibition. The findings provide the impetus for further research on the Thymus algeriensis dichloromethane fraction, aimed at improving understanding of the mechanism responsible for the observed relaxant effect.…”

Antioxidant Activity and Inhibition of Carbohydrate Digestive Enzymes Activities of Artemisia campestris L.

“…The antiradical scavenging activity of sample was evaluated using a radical 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) [27]. The sample extract (200 µL) at range of concentration (25-1000 µg/mL, the choice of concentration is based on our previous study, which demonstrated that 1 mg/mL has a maximum in vitro antispasmodic effect [17]. For that, we made dilutions from a concentration of 1 mg/mL) was mixed with an 1800 µL of DPPH solution 0.004% solubilized in methanol.…”

“…Artemisia compestris L. is one of the Artemisia species that has historically been used to treat digestive tract disorders [8] such as gastric ulcer [9], diarrhea [10], antispasmodic [11], obesity, and also as an antidiabetic agent [12]. Different pharmacological studies showed that Artemisia campestris L. has antibacterial [13], antitumor [14], anti-inflammatory [15], antiplatelet [16], antispasmodic [17], antidiarrheal [18], and anti-ulcer activities [19]. Belgacem et al [20] reported that Artemisia campestris L. has a hypoglycemic impact, however no information was provided on the mechanism of action responsible for this effect.…”