Sapindus trifoliate is a medium-sized deciduous tree growing wild in south India that belongs to the family Sapindaceae. The pericarp is reported for various medicinal properties. A thick aqueous solution of the pericarp is used for the treatment of hemi crania, hysteria or epilepsy in folklore medicine. As antiepileptic action is due to muscle relaxation we thought of investigating the muscle ...

Relaxant responses to vasodilators, including nitroglycerin, sodium nitroprusside, prostaglandin I2 sodium salt (PGI2), prostaglandin E1 (PGE1), diltiazem hydrochloride and adenosine, were compared in helical strips of dog coronary arteries of different sizes and in coronary and mesenteric arterial strips. The relaxant responses to nitroglycerin, sodium nitroprusside, diltiazem and adenosine we...

Natriuretic peptide (NP) receptor has been postulated to be downregulated under a high concentration of atrial NP (ANP) in congestive heart failure (CHF), but limited information is available on how the vascular functional responsiveness to NPs is altered in coronary circulation during CHF. We assessed the relaxant effects of ANP, brain NP (BNP), and other vasodilators in isolated coronary arte...

Previous studies have demonstrated the anti-hypertensive effects of Hibiscus sabdariffa L. (HS) in both humans and experimental animals. To explore the mechanisms of the anti-hypertensive effect of the HS, we examined the effects of a crude methanolic extract of the calyces of HS (HSE) on vascular reactivity in isolated aortas from spontaneously hypertensive rats. HSE relaxed, concentration-dep...

BACKGROUND In previous studies, the relaxant, anticholinergic (functional antagonism) and antihistaminic effects of Nigella sativa have been demonstrated on guinea pig tracheal chains. To elucidate the other mechanisms responsible for the relaxant effect of this plant, its inhibitory effect on the calcium channel was examined in this study. RESULTS The inhibitory effects of both concentration...

Airway smooth muscle (ASM) plays an important role in asthma pathophysiology through its contractile and proliferative functions. The cyclic nucleotides adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) and guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cGMP) are second messengers capable of mediating the effects of a variety of drugs and hormones. There is a large body of evidence to support the hypothesis t...

The present study was designed to characterize the response of human penile dorsal artery and deep dorsal vein to dilator drugs used in the diagnosis and treatment of erectile dysfunction with special emphasis on the effects on sympathetic neurotransmission. Ring segments of penile dorsal artery and deep dorsal vein were obtained from 20 multi-organ donors during procurement of organs for trans...

Helichrysum plicatum (Turkish Helichrysum) has been used in folk medicine for the treatment of gastric and hepatic disorders. The aim of the present study was to examine the relaxant activity of an extract of H. plicatum flowers on isolated rat ileum. Segments of ileum of rats were suspended in an organ bath. Cumulative concentrations of H. plicatum ethanol extract induced a relaxant effect on ...

BACKGROUND Muscle relaxant agents usually use to facilitate tracheal intubation; however, sometimes limitations exist. Magnesium (Mg) sulfate is a candidate for muscle relaxant substitute. This study was designed to determine the effect of Mg sulfate accompanied with propofol and fentanyl in patients undergoing ophthalmic surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS In a double-blind randomized protocol an...

Distinct parasympathetic postganglionic neurons mediate contractions and relaxations of the guinea pig airways. We set out to characterize the vagal inputs that regulate contractile and relaxant airway parasympathetic postganglionic neurons. Single and dual retrograde neuronal tracing from the airways and esophagus revealed that distinct, but intermingled, subsets of neurons in the compact form...