Natural Product Research Division, Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Aga Khan University Medical College, Karachi 74800, Pakistan.
J Ethnopharmacol. 2012 Oct 31;144(1):128-37. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2012.08.039. Epub 2012 Sep 10.
In the Greco-Arab (Unani) traditional medicine, Fumaria parviflora Linn. is widely used in hypreractive gut and respiratory disorders including diarrhea, abdominal cramps, indigestion and asthma but scientific studies to provide rational for these medicinal uses are sparse. This study was therefore undertaken to provide ethnopharmacological basis for its medicinal use in diarrhea, abdominal cramps and asthma.
The in vivo studies were conducted in mice and rats while isolated gut and tracheal preparations of rat, guinea-pig and rabbit were suspended in respective tissue baths to measure the isotonic and isometric responses, using Power Lab electronic recorder.
The aqueous-methanol extract of Fumaria parviflora (Fp.Cr) protected against diarrhea caused by castor oil in rats and mice, similar to loperamide and dicyclomine, and bronchospasm caused by carbachol (CCh) in rats, similar to aminophylline. In the in vitro studies, Fp.Cr relaxed CCh and isotonic high K(+) physiological salts solutions-induced contractions in jejunum, ileum and tracheal preparations of rat, guinea-pig and rabbit. Fp.Cr was predominately more potent against CCh than isotonic high K(+) solutions-induced contractions, similar to dicyclomine, suggesting the presence of anticholinergic and calcium channel blocking (CCB) activities, which were confirmed when Fp.Cr shifted the CCh and Ca(2+) concentration-response curves, constructed in rat ileum and trachea, towards right. Among intestinal preparations from various species, both anticholinergic and CCB effects of Fp.Cr were exhibited at lower concentrations in rat than the other species. In tracheal preparations, Fp.Cr was the most potent in its CCB effect in rabbit. Within species, CCB effect of Fp.Cr was produced at lower concentrations in rat jejunum than ileum and trachea, whereas, anticholinergic effect was produced at higher concentration in rat trachea than intestine.
This study, showing the presence of antidiarrheal, antispasmodic and bronchodilator activities in Fumaria parviflora possibly mediated through dual blockade of muscarinic receptors and Ca(2+) channels, provides sound basis for its medicinal uses in diarrhea, abdominal cramps and may be used as bronchodilator in asthma. Species and tissue-dependency of these effects underscores the importance of utilizing multiple tissues and species to get more meaningful results.
在希腊-阿拉伯（顺势疗法）传统医学中，苦苣菜广泛用于治疗肠道和呼吸系统过度活跃的疾病，包括腹泻、腹痛、消化不良和哮喘，但提供这些药用用途的科学依据的研究很少。因此，本研究旨在为其在腹泻、腹痛和哮喘中的药用用途提供民族药理学基础。
体内研究在小鼠和大鼠中进行，而大鼠、豚鼠和兔的分离肠道和气管制剂被悬挂在各自的组织浴中，以使用 Power Lab 电子记录器测量等张和等长反应。
苦苣菜的水-甲醇提取物（Fp.Cr）可预防蓖麻油引起的大鼠和小鼠腹泻，类似于洛哌丁胺和双环胺，以及卡巴胆碱（CCh）引起的大鼠支气管痉挛，类似于氨茶碱。在体外研究中，Fp.Cr 松弛了大鼠、豚鼠和兔的空肠、回肠和气管制剂中 CCh 和等张高 K（+）生理盐溶液引起的收缩。Fp.Cr 对 CCh 的作用比等张高 K（+）溶液引起的收缩更为有效，类似于双环胺，表明存在抗胆碱能和钙通道阻断（CCB）活性，当 Fp.Cr 向右移动大鼠回肠和气管中的 CCh 和 Ca（2+）浓度-反应曲线时，这种活性得到了证实。在来自不同物种的肠道制剂中，Fp.Cr 在大鼠中的抗胆碱能和 CCB 作用在较低浓度下就表现出来，而在其他物种中则表现出来。在气管制剂中，Fp.Cr 在兔中的 CCB 作用最为有效。在同种动物中，Fp.Cr 的 CCB 作用在大鼠空肠中的浓度低于回肠和气管，而在大鼠气管中的浓度高于肠道。抗胆碱能作用。
本研究表明，苦苣菜具有抗腹泻、抗痉挛和支气管扩张作用，可能通过双重阻断毒蕈碱受体和 Ca（2+）通道介导，为其在腹泻、腹痛中的药用用途提供了合理的依据，并且可能在哮喘中用作支气管扩张剂。这些作用的物种和组织依赖性突出了利用多种组织和物种获得更有意义结果的重要性。
