Spasmolytic Activity of Casuarina Equisetifolia Bark Extract

Casuarina equisetifolia (Casuarinaceae) is considered a medicinal plant and is traditionally used for the treatment of diarrhoea. Preliminary phytochemical screening of methanolic extract of the aerial bark revealed the presence of carbohydrates, alkaloids, proteins, glycosides, saponins, flavonoids and tannins. The extract reduced contractions in isolated ileum induced by spasmogens like ACh, Histamine, KCl and BaCl2 and potentiated the effect of Nifedipine suggesting an antimuscarinic, antihistaminic and a calcium channel blocking action. Flavonoids and tannins present in the extract might be responsible for the observed antispasmodic effect and suggests multiple mechanisms, which can be exploited in future studies. INTRODUCTION: Plant based traditional medicine system plays an essential role in health care, with about 80% of the world’s inhabitants relying mainly on traditional medicines for their primary health care . For centuries, herbs have been used in traditional medicine to treat many gastrointestinal disorders. In recent times numerous scientific studies have been performed to test the potential effect of plant extracts on intestinal contractions. However, the mechanism of action by which these plants exert their therapeutic effects has not been completely elucidated . Casuarina equisetifolia is an evergreen tree; generally attains height up to 50 m, introduced into India. It is cultivated on Coastal regions from Gujarat to Orissa, some parts of West Bengal and in Andamans . Various parts of the plant such as bark,leaves,seeds and fruits have been reported to posess antihistaminic , antioxidant , antimicrobial , hepatoprotective 6 and analgesic 7 activities. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the possible spasmolytic activity of the methanol extract of Casuaria equisetifolia bark since there is no data of the physiological effects of the extract on isolated