A study of the smooth muscle relaxant actions of harman alkaloids isolated from the seeds of peganum harmala
Journal Title: Perspectives In Medical Research - Year 2018, Vol 6, Issue 3
Abstract
Introduction: : The plant Peganum harmala is a shrub native to the arid parts of the world including India. It's therapeutic value is attributed to the presence of alkaloids harmala and harmine in the dried ripe seeds. In traditional medicine these seeds are considered to have anti-spasmodic, hypnotic, anodyne, emetic, emmenogogue, stimulant, aphrodisiac, lactogogue and antihelminthic actions. Objectives: The present study was undertaken to find out the effects of the active principle extracted from the seeds of Peganum harmala on isolated smooth muscle and skeletal muscle preparations and the probable mechanism of action Materials and Methods :The harman alkaloid isolated from Peganum harmala seeds was used for experiments on isolated preparations of rat uterus, guinea pig ileum, rabbit jejunum and frog rectus abdominis muscles and the responses were recorded on a rotating smoked drum on a kymograph. Results :The active principle in Peganum harmala seeds was shown to inhibit spontaneous movements of isolated rat uterus, guinea pig ileum and rabbit jejunum. Also shown to inhibit contractions of oestranised rat uterus induced by oxytocin, contractions of guinea pig ileum induced by histamine and acetyl choline. Have not shown any effect on contractions of frog rectus abdominus muscle. Conclusion :Harman alkaloids have anti-spasmodic, tocolytic, anti-cholinergic and anti-histaminic activities, it is unlikely that these alkaloids have a specific receptor antagonistic activity. Also these have found to inhibit the smooth muscle contractions but not the skeletal muscle contractions. The smooth muscle relaxant action may be due to calcium channel blockade.
Authors and Affiliations
Rajkumar T
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP305098
- DOI -
- Views 118
- Downloads 0
Anesthetic management of cor pulmonale posted for fracture neck femur: Role of regional anesthesia
Introduction: Patients with Cor pulmonale pose a difficult challenge for the anesthesiologist. Case report: We present a case of 75 year old female with cor pulmonale with fracture left femur posted for Austin Moore pros...
The Diet-Heart Hypothesis: Changing Perspectives
Introduction: The diet-heart hypothesis, i.e. dietary cholesterol and saturated fats raise the serum cholesterol which in turn is a risk factor for coronary artery disease is prevalent since the 1950s. Over the years it...
Traumatic abdominal wall hernia causing proximal jejunal necrosis
Traumatic abdominal wall hernia (TAWH) is produced by a sudden application of blunt force that is insufficient to penetrate skin but strong enough to disrupt the abdominal muscle and fascia1. Traumatic abdominal wall her...
A case of tracheoesophageal fistula 'H' variant
Tracheo esophageal fistula without an associated esophageal atresia (H – variant) is one of the rare anomalies (incidence being 4.2%). According to the American academy of pediatrics survey which was done in 1964, 1058 c...
Unilateral hypertrophied right kidney and contralateral atrophy of left kidney: In a setting of malignant hypertension – A case report
During routine dissection of cadavers for 1st MBBS students in 2009-2010 a normal built adult male cadaver presented with a hypertrophied right kidney and an atrophied left kidney. In the right kidney (16cmx6.5cmx4.5cm)...