Antispasmodic effects of yarrow (<i>Achillea millefolium l</i>.) extract in the isolated ileum of rat

Abstract

Achillea millefolium L. is cultivated in Iran and widely used in traditional medicine for gastrointestinal disorders. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of hydroalcoholic extract of A. millefolium on the contraction and relaxation of isolated ileum in rat. In this experimental study, aerial parts of A. millefolium were extracted by maceration in ethanol 70% for 72h. Terminal portion of ileum in 100 male Wistar rats was dissected and its contractions were recorded isotonically in an organ bath containing Tyrode solution (37 ºC, pH 7.4) under one gram tension. Acetylcholine (1mM) and KCl (60mM) were used to create isotonic contractions. Propranolol and Nω-Nitro-L-arginine methylester hydrochloride (L-NAME) were used to investigate the mechanisms of action prior to giving the extract to the relevant groups. Data were compared by ANOVA and Turkey's post hoc test.. The results showed that the ileum contraction was induced by KCl and acetylcholine induced contraction was significantly reduced by A. millefolium extract. The cumulative concentrations of A. millefolium relaxed the KCl and acetylcholine induced contractions (n=14, p<0.001). The inhibitory effect of extract on contraction induced by KCl and acetylcholine was not significantly affected neither by propranolol (1μM) nor by L-NAME (100 μM). There was no significant difference in the rate of relaxation by propranolol and L-NAME between the two groups. In conclusion, A. millefolium can inhibit contraction of smooth muscle of ileum in rat, and it can be used for eliminating intestinal spasms. These results suggest that the relaxatory effect of A. millefolium on ileum contractions can be due to the blockade of voltage dependent calcium channels. In addition, the β-adrenoceptors, cholinergic receptors and nitric oxide production are not powerful actors in inhibitory effect of A. millefolium. So, the nitric oxide and adrenergic systems may also be involved in the antispasmodic effect of A. millefolium.

Antioxidant Activity and Ethno pharmacological Survey of Achillea biebersteinii Afan. in the Treatment of Dysmenorrhoea in Traditional Medicine of Golestan Province, Iran

“…Some researchers have also reported that Teucrium polium L., Peganum harmala L. and Achillea millefolium L. , contain harmine, harmaline, vasicinone, deoxyvasicinone, achillin, limonene, borneol, α-cadinol, caryophyllene oxide and terpinen-4-ol alkaloids (15,16). According to other reports the terpenoids (eucalyptol, camphor, α-terpineol, β-pinene, and borneol ) are the principal components of Achillea millefolium L. oil with the strongly radical scavenging (IC50=1.56 µg/ml), antispasmodic, anti cholinergic and antibacterial activity against Streptococcus pneumoniae, Clostridium perfringens, Candida albicans, Mycobacterium smegmatis, Acinetobacter lwoffii and Candida krusei (17)(18)(19). Thus these results confirmed that the oil and extract of Achillea species possess antioxidant, antispasmodic and antimicrobial properties in vitro and thus in the treatment of dysmenorrhoea.…”

Anti-adenovirus activity, antioxidant potential, and phenolic content of black tea (Camellia sinensis Kuntze) extract

“…Medicinal plants have been used for many years for the treatment of human diseases [9][10][11] and a number of herbal medicines have been developed into therapeutic agents or have had promising results [12][13][14][15][16][17].…”

Isolation of a novel piperidide from Achillea Moonshine using bioactivity guided fractionation for the treatment of acne

“…'Moonshine' was determined (Shah et al, 2015). Achillea has been traditionally used for healing wound, treat inflammation, as an antimicrobial and treat gastric and respiratory infections (Li et al, 2011;Moradi et al, 2013;Benedek and Kopp, 2007). This report was novel as this was the first time yarrow was determined to have acne treating abilities such as reducing inflammation, treating infections caused by P. acnes and S. epidermidis and removing dark pigmentation (Shah et al, 2015).…”