Hypotensive and vasorelaxant effects of ethanolic extract from Jatropha gossypiifolia L. in rats

• Published in: Fitoterapia Vol. 74; no. 7; pp. 650 - 657
• Main Authors: Abreu, Iracelle C., Marinho, Alex S.S., Paes, Antonio M.A., Freire, Sônia M.F., Olea, Roberto S.G., Borges, Marilene O.R., Borges, Antonio C.R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 01-12-2003; Elsevier
• Subjects: Administration, Oral; Animals; Antihypertensive Agents - administration & dosage; Antihypertensive Agents - pharmacology; Antihypertensive Agents - therapeutic use; Biological and medical sciences; Blood Pressure - drug effects; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Endothelium, Vascular - drug effects; General pharmacology; Hypotension; Jatropha; Jatropha gossypiifolia; Male; Medical sciences; Mesenteric Arteries - drug effects; Pharmacognosy. Homeopathy. Health food; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Phytotherapy; Plant Extracts - administration & dosage; Plant Extracts - pharmacology; Plant Extracts - therapeutic use; Plant Leaves; Plant Stems; Rat mesenteric artery; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Vasodilation - drug effects; Vasorelaxation; Jatropha gossypiifolia; Rat mesenteric artery; Vasorelaxation; Hypotension; Vasodilator agent; Rat; Pharmacognosy; Rodentia; Oral administration; In vitro; Biological activity; Vasodilation; Medicinal plant; Hypotensive drug; In vivo; Vertebrata; Mesenteric artery; Mammalia; Animal; Plant origin; Arterial pressure
• ISSN: 0367-326X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.fitote.2003.07.002

The present work was carried out to examine the hypotensive effects of ethanolic extract (EE) from
Jatropha gossypiifolia L. The oral administration of EE (125 or 250 mg kg
−1 day
−1) caused a significant and dose-dependent reduction of the systolic blood pressure. The concentration–response curves to norepinephrine (NE) or Ca
2+ were non-parallely shifted to the right and the maximum contractile responses were concentration dependently depressed by EE (0.1 or 0.5 mg/ml) in endothelium-deprived mesenteric artery. The cumulative additions of EE (0.1–30 mg/ml) caused a concentration-dependent relaxant response in endothelium-deprived mesenteric artery precontracted with NE or Ca
2+. In conclusion, our results have shown that the EE from
J. gossypiifolia L. can elicit hypotension, by oral via, in conscious normotensive rats and vasorelaxant activity on rat mesenteric rings precontracted with NE or Ca
2+.