Pharmacological basis for the medicinal use of <i>Viola odorata</i> in diarrhea, bronchial asthma and hypertension

Abstract

Viola odorata is traditionally used in the management of gastrointestinal, respiratory and vascular disorders. The present study was undertaken to validate its folkloric uses. The application of V. odorata to spontaneous contractions in isolated rabbit jejunum preparation exerted relaxant effect through decrease in magnitude and frequency of contractions. Moreover, it also caused relaxation of K + (80 mM)-induced contractions and shifted the Ca 2+ concentration response curves toward right in isolated jejunum similar to verapamil (standard Ca 2+ channel blocker), confirming Ca 2+ channel blocking activity. V. odorata also caused relaxation of carbachol (1 µM)-and K + (80 mM) -induced contractions in isolated rabbit tracheal preparations comparable to verapamil, reflecting that observed relaxant effect may be the outcome of antimuscarinic and/or Ca 2+ channel blocking activities. It also exerted relaxant effect on phenylephrine (1 µM)-and K + (80 mM)-induced contractions in isolated rabbit aortic preparations thus providing rationale for its folkloric uses to treat diarrhea, asthma and hypertension. Article Info Materials and Methods Plant material and preparation of extractThe aerial parts of V. odorata were collected in May, 2012 from the botanical garden of Pakistan Institute of Forestry, University of Peshawar and were identified by the kind cooperation of an expert taxonomist (Prof. Altaf Ahmad Dasti), at

Antihypertensive Indigenous Lebanese Plants: Ethnopharmacology and a Clinical Trial

“…Furthermore, blocking voltage-dependent Ca 2+ channels or suppressing Ca 2+ release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum in PE-induced or spontaneously contracting isolated rabbit tissue preparations was also confirmed in a recent study [90]. Importantly, a phytochemical screening of V. odorata extracts and essential oils revealed the presence of a wide range of bioactive compounds [90,91], making it an attractive plant for further cardiovascular investigations.…”

Efficacy and safety of add-on Viola odorata L. in the treatment of COVID-19: A randomized double-blind controlled trial

“…Janbaz KH et al showed the relaxation of K+ (80 mM)-induced contractions and shifted Ca2+ concentration-response curves toward the right in isolated jejunum similar to verapamil as a confirmation for Ca2+ channel blocking activity. Those researchers concluded that this finding provides an objective rationale for the folkloric use of Viola odorata to control diarrhea( Janbaz et al, 2015 ).…”

Total Antioxidant Status, Antimicrobial and Antiproliferative Potentials of Viola Odorata (Fragrant Violet)

“…V. odorata, which is used for many purposes in different region of the world, was used by the French to make violet syrup, in the USA it was used to make syrup, donuts and confectionery. In addition to these features, it is used against respiratory disorders, insomnia and skin disorders [9]. The antimicrobial, antioxidant, oxidant, and antiproliferative effects of the plant used in our study were analyzed.…”