Abstract
BackgroundThe majority of global population suffer from various functional gastrointestinal disorders. Pugionium cornutum (L.) Gaertn. (PCG) is used to relieve indigestive symptoms in traditional Chinese medicine. However, little is known about the effects of bioactive components from PCG extracts on gastrointestinal motility.MethodsCrude ethanol extract of PCG (EEP) was prepared from Pugionium cornutum (L.) Gaertn. Different solvents were used to prepare fine extracts from EEP, including water extract of PCG (WEP), petroleum ether extract of PCG (PEEP), dichloromethane extract of PCG (DEP) and ethyl acetate extract of PCG (EAEP). Smooth muscle cell model and colonic smooth muscle stripe model were used to test the bioactive effects and mechanisms of different PCG extracts on contraction and relaxation. Diverse chromatographic methods were used to identify bioactive substances from PCG extracts.ResultsEEP was found to promote the relaxation of gastric smooth muscle cell and inhibit the contraction of colonic smooth muscle strip. Among the fractions of EEP, EAEP mainly mediated the relaxation effect by stimulating intracellular calcium influx. Further evidences revealed that EAEP was antagonistic to acetylcholine. In addition, COX and NO-GC-PKC pathways may be also involved in EAEP-mediated relaxation effect. Quercetin was identified as a bioactive compound from PCG extract for the relaxation effect.ConclusionOur research supports the notion that PCG extracts promote relaxation and inhibits contraction of gastrointestinal smooth muscle at least partially through the effect from quercetin.
Highlights
The majority of global population suffer from various functional gastrointestinal disorders
The treatments with petroleum ether extract of PCG (PEEP) and dichloromethane extract of Pugionium cornutum (L.) Gaertn. (PCG) (DEP) showed no significant difference on SMC contraction (Table 4 and Table 5)
Our data suggested that ethyl acetate extract of PCG (EAEP) is the major functional fraction of ethanol extract of PCG (EEP) to relax SMC in an acetylcholine-dependent pattern
Summary
The majority of global population suffer from various functional gastrointestinal disorders. (PCG) is used to relieve indigestive symptoms in traditional Chinese medicine. Little is known about the effects of bioactive components from PCG extracts on gastrointestinal motility. A large proportion of global population suffer from at least one of the functional gastrointestinal disorders due to irregular life style, work pressure or dietary stimulation. Various acute and chronic symptoms such as dyspepsia, constipation and diarrhea have significant negative impacts on patients’ quality of life by inducing emotional distress [2]. Functional food for regular uptake is beneficial for the maintenance of healthy status in chronic diseases including gastrointestinal disorders. The traditional concept of medicine food homology (MFH) has been widely revisited and developed [3]
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