Some pharmacologic and toxicologic studies on Rhazya stricta Decne in rats, mice and rabbits

M. O.M. Tanira*, B. H. Ali, A. K. Bashir, I. Chandranath

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

27 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This work examines some in vivo and in vitro pharmacologic and toxicologic effects of extracts of Rhazya stricta, a medicinal plant in the United Arab Emirates. R. stricta extracts at doses of 0.1-10 mg reduced the mean arterial blood pressure (MBP) of anesthetized rats in a dose-dependent manner. The depressor effect was partially sensitive to atropine (5 μM). Although the MBP was reduced by 50% by both doses of extracts, the normal electrocardiogram pattern and the heart rate remained unaltered. Acute treatment of rats with the lyophilized extract at doses of 4 g/kg produced a significant rise in insulin concentration. In streptozotocin-diabetic rats loaded orally with glucose (1 g/kg), R. stricta at doses of 8 g/kg produced significant decreases in plasma glucose concentration at 0.5 and 1 h after treatment. Chronic treatment of rats and mice for 28 days with the lyophilized extract of R. stricta did not affect the plasma glucose or insulin concentration or any of the hematological or biochemical indices measured. The extracts of R. stricta (0.5-4 g/kg) dose-dependently decreased the gastrointestinal transit time in mice by 4-50%. The butanolic extract of R. stricta (1 and 2 g/kg) significantly reduced the carrageenan-induced increase in raw paw edema 3 and 4 h after the extract administration. The rectal temperatures of normothermic and pyrexic rats were reduced significantly 0.5 and 1 h after administration of butanolic R. stricta at doses of 1 and 2 g/kg. The butanolic extract of R. stricta at doses of 1 and 2 g/kg significantly increased the reaction time on the hot plate 30 and 60 min after administration to rats. At concentrations <0.05 mg/ml (bath concentration), lyophilized water and butanol extracts of R. stricta potentiated the twitch responses induced by indirect electrical stimulation in the rat phrenic nerve diaphragm preparation. The responses were inhibited by concentrations >0.05 mg/ml. Neostigmine (2 x 10-4M) did not alter these effects of the extracts. R. stricta extracts dose-dependently decreased the force of contraction and heart rate of the isolated rabbit heart. Atropine (1 x 10-5 M) had no effect on the inhibitory activity of these extracts. The lyophilized water extract (>10 mg) and butanol extract (>5 mg) produced irreversible inhibition and disturbances in the force of contraction and heart rate.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1261-1267
Number of pages7
JournalGeneral Pharmacology
Volume27
Issue number7
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Oct 1996
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Rhazya stricta
  • diabetes
  • medicinal plant
  • toxicity

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Pharmacology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Some pharmacologic and toxicologic studies on Rhazya stricta Decne in rats, mice and rabbits'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this