Studies on the chemical composition and possible mechanisms underlying the antispasmodic and bronchodilatory activities of the essential oil of Artemisia maritima L.

Abstract

This study describes the chemical composition of the essential oil of Artemisia maritima (Am.Oil) and the pharmacological basis for its medicinal use in gut and airways disorders. Twenty five compounds, composing 93.7% of the oil, were identified; among these, chrysanthenyl propionate and elixene were identified for the first time from any Artemisia species. The Am.Oil (0.3-1.0 mg/mL) suppressed spontaneous and high K(+) (80 mM)-induced contractions in isolated rabbit jejunum, suggestive of an antispasmodic effect mediated possibly through calcium channel blockade. The calcium channel blockade activity was confirmed when pre-treatment of the tissue with Am.Oil (0.01-0.03 mg/mL) shifted the Ca(++) concentration-response curves to the right, similar to verapamil and papaverine. In isolated tracheal strips, Am.Oil inhibited carbachol (CCh; 1 μM)-induced contractions more than that induced by K(+) and shifted the isoprenaline-induced inhibitory CRCs to the left, similar to papaverine, suggestive of potentiation, while, verapamil was more potent against K(+) than CCh-induced contractions and had no potentiating effect on isoprenaline-induced inhibitory CRCs. These data indicate that the Am.Oil exhibited spasmolytic and bronchodilator activities mediated possibly through dual blockade of calcium channels and phosphodiesterase, which provides the pharmacological basis to the medicinal use of Artemisia maritima in colic, diarrhea and possibly asthma.

The application of 1,8-cineole, a terpenoid oxide present in medicinal plants, inhibits castor oil-induced diarrhea in rats

“…Recent studies have confirmed antimicrobial (Krist et al, 2008;Pattnaick et al, 1997) antifungal (Pattnaick et al, 1997), antimalarial (Su et al, 2008), insecticidal (Prates et al, 1998), anthelmintic (Shah et al, 2011), antiexudant, cytotoxic, antitumor (Asanova et al, 2003, antispasmodic (Magalhaes et al, 1998), antiinflammatory (Santos & Rao, 2000), analgesic (Asanova et al, 2003;2000), and gastroprotectant (Santos & Rao, 2001) properties of 1,8-cineole. It has been reported that 1,8-cineole alters neural firing in certain areas of the olfactory lobe.…”

Major bioactivities and mechanism of action of essential oils and their components

“…It was suggested that essential oils, either inhaled or applied on the skin, act through their lipophilic fractions on the lipid moieties of cell membranes and, therefore, modify the activity of calcium and potassium ion channels . Applied to a certain dose, essential oils saturate the membranes.…”

“…It was suggested that essential oils, either inhaled or applied on the skin, act through their lipophilic fractions on the lipid moieties of cell membranes and, therefore, modify the activity of calcium and potassium ion channels. [27][28][29][30] Applied to a certain dose, essential oils saturate the membranes. They seem to interact with cell membranes depending on the structure and physicochemical properties of the components that can then affect the function of various membrane molecular structures [31] : transport systems, enzymes, ion channels [32,33] or receptors.…”

Natural Products Useful in Respiratory Disorders: Focus on Side-Effect Neutralizing Combinations

“…Interestingly, all plants tested were found to contain Ca ++ channel blocking (CCB)‐like constituents, which co‐existed with either PDE inhibitory and/or antimuscarinic constituents. Some popular herbs commonly used in asthma and cough, such as turmeric ( Curcuma longa ), St. John's wort ( Hypericum perforatum ), Artemisia maritima , Andropogon muricatus and Juniper excelsa , were found to possess bronchodilatory effect, mediated through a combination of CCB and PDE inhibitory activities (Gilani et al , , ; Shah et al , ; Shah and Gilani, ; Khan et al , ). Similarly, the essential oil of Nepeta cataria also mediates airways relaxation, through a combination of same dual inhibitory mechanisms (Gilani et al , ).…”