BackgroundOphioglossum vulgatum Linn. (Ophioglossaceae) (OV), which is traditionally used on wounds and burns, enjoys a reputation as the king of medicine in Taiwan. There are few studies on its role in gastrointestinal diseases. Our aim was to assess the antidiarrheal and spasmolytic effect of the ethanol whole plant extract of Ophioglossum vulgatum (EWOV).MethodsStudy was conducted from June 2018 to July 2019. The chemical constituents of EWOV were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). In vivo, the antidiarrheal activity of EWOV (125, 250 and 500 mg/kg; orally) in castor oil-induced Kun Ming mice was evaluated. In vitro, the effect of EWOV (0.01-10 mg/mL) on the spontaneous contraction of isolated rabbit jejunum smooth muscle was studied. Verapamil was the positive control group in both vivo and vitro studies. The jejunum stripes were pre-contracted by ACh (10-5 M) and KCl (60 mM) which could induce the jejunum spasm. The possible spasmolytic effect was analyzed in the pretreatment of the jejunum preparations with EWOV (0.3, 1 mg/mL) or verapamil (0.03, 0.1 µM) in Ca2+-free and high-K+ (60 mM) solution containing EDTA.ResultsEWOV (250 and 500 mg/kg) exhibited antidiarrheal effect. EWOV (0.01-10 mg/mL) inhibited the spontaneous and ACh/KCl-induced contraction with an EC50 value of 1.46 (0.89-2.04), 1.06 (0.63-1.48) and 0.48 (0.29-0.67), and it shifted the concentration-response curves of CaCl2 to right with decreased in max, similar to verapamil. ConclusionsEWOV has significant antidiarrheal and spasmolytic effect, possibly by mediating calcium channel blocking activity, this provides the pharmacological basis for use in gastrointestinal disorders.

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