Intestinal myorelaxant and antispasmodic effects of the essential oil of Croton nepetaefolius and its constituents cineole, methyl-eugenol and terpineol

✍ Scribed by Pedro J. C. Magalhães; David N. Criddle; Raquel A. Tavares; Edna M. Melo; Ticiana L. Mota; Jose H. Leal-Cardoso

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1998
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 187 KB
• Volume: 12
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0951-418X
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1099-1573(199805)12:3<172::aid-ptr212>3.0.co;2-e

✦ Synopsis

The effects of the essential oil of Croton nepetaefolius (EOCN), a medicinal plant from the north-east of Brazil, and its constituents cineole, methyl-eugenol and terpineol, were studied on intestinal motility in vivo and on in vitro mechanical activity of intestinal smooth muscle. In mice, EOCN (10-100 mg/kg body weight, intragastrically) increased the intestinal transit of charcoal marker delivered to the stomach. This was also observed in animals pretreated with castor oil. In segments of guinea-pig ileum and cardial, pyloral and ileo-caecal sphincters, EOCN preferentially decreased basal tonus compared with the amplitude of spontaneous contractions with EC 50 values in the range 0.9 -16 and 8 -150 mg/mL respectively. In ileum, EOCN, cineole, methyl-eugenol and terpineol decreased tonus with EC 50 values of 16, 322, 9 and 71 mg/mL, respectively, and blocked 60 mM [K ]-induced contraction with IC 50 values of 18, 419, 12 and 95 mg/mL.

The data show that EOCN possesses myorelaxant and antispasmodic properties in vitro, consistent with the use of Croton nepetaefolius in folk medicine as an intestinal antispasmodic. EOCN-induced stimulation of intestinal transit in vivo appears consistent with its in vitro effects, since a preferential decrease in tonus may reduce luminal resistance to bulk flow of intestinal contents.