Bronchodilatory and B-adrenergic effects of methanolic and aqueous extracts of Althaea root on isolated tracheobronchial smooth rat muscle

Authors
Behrang Alani 1
Mohammad Zare 2
Mahdi Noureddini 3
1 Department of Genetic and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan; Department of Applied Cell Science, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran
2 Department of Neuroscience Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan; Department of Neurology, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
3 Department of Applied Cell Science, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan; Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan; Physiology Research Center, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran
Abstract
Background: The smooth muscle contractions of the tracheobronchial airways are mediated through the balance of adrenergic, cholinergic and peptidergic nervous mechanisms. This research was designed to determine the bronchodilatory and B-adrenergic effects of methanolic and aqueous extracts of root Althaea on the isolated tracheobronchial smooth muscle of the rat.
Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, 116 tracheobronchial sections (5 mm) from 58 healthy male Sprague-Dawley rats were dissected and divided into 23 groups. The effect of methanolic and aqueous extracts of the root Althaea was assayed at different concentrations (0.2, 0.6, 2.6, 6.6, 14.6 mg/ml) and epinephrine (5 mm) in the presence and absence of propranolol (1 mM) under one g tension based on the isometric method. This assay was recorded in an organ bath containing Krebs-Henseleit solution for tracheobronchial smooth muscle contractions using potassium chloride (KCl) (60 mM) induction.
Results: Epinephrine (5 mm) alone and root methanolic and aqueous extract concentrations (0.6-14.6 mg/ml) reduced tracheobronchial smooth muscle contractions induced using KCl (60 mM) in a dose dependent manner. Propranolol inhibited the antispasmodic effect of epinephrine on tracheobronchial smooth muscle contractions, but could not reduce the antispasmodic effect of the root extract concentrations.
Conclusion: The methanolic and aqueous extracts of Althaea root inhibited the tracheobronchial smooth muscle contractions of rats in a dose dependent manner, but B-adrenergic receptors do not appear to engage in this process. Understanding the mechanism of this process can be useful in the treatment of pulmonary obstructive diseases like asthma.

Keywords

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Advanced Biomedical Research
Volume 2015, March
March 2015
Pages 1-6