Preliminary evaluation of the antispasmodic and lipoxygenase inhibitory effects of some selected medicinal plants

Abstract

The present study aimed to evaluate the possible antispasmodic and lipoxygenase inhibitory activity of some Pakistani medicinal plants. Extracts from Aconitum laeve Royle (Ranunculaceae), Trichodesma indicum Linn. (Boraginaceae), and Sauromatum guttatum Schott (Araceae) (corms) were tested on the isolated rabbit jejunum. All the extracts caused reduction in spontaneous and acetylcholine-induced contractions. A. laeve displayed excellent spasmolytic activity and almost (95%) diminished the normal contraction of rabbit jejunum at a concentration of 0.25mg/mL of final bath. T. indicum inhibited the intestinal contractions by 78% at 5mg/mL while S. guttatum (corms) caused 69% inhibition of spontaneous contractions at a concentration of 2mg/mL. Extracts from A. laeve, T. indicum, S. guttatum (leaves and berries) and Paeonia emodi Wall. (Paeoniaceae) were screened in vitro for lipoxygenase inhibitory activity. All the extracts except A. laeve, showed good to excellent inhibition of the tested enzyme. P. emodi and S. guttatum (leaves) each inhibited the enzyme by 90% while T. indicum and S. guttatum (berries), respectively, showed 64.5% and 65% inhibitory activity against this enzyme. © 2009 Informa UK Ltd.