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Pharmacological explanation for the medicinal use of Juniperus excelsa in hyperactive gastrointestinal and respiratory disorders

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Abstract

Crude extract of Juniperus excelsa (JeExt), which tested positive for the presence of anthraquinone, flavonoids, saponins, sterols, terpenes and tannin, exhibited a protective effect against castor oil-induced diarrhoea in mice at 100–1000 mg/kg. In rabbit jejunum preparations, JeExt (0.01–1.0 mg/mL) caused relaxation of spontaneous and K+ (80 mM)-induced contractions at similar concentrations to papaverine, whereas verapamil was relatively more potent against K+. JeExt (0.03–0.3 mg/mL) shifted Ca2+ concentration–response curves to the right, like papaverine or verapamil. JeExt (0.003–0.01 mg/mL) caused a leftward shift of isoprenaline-induced inhibitory concentration–response curves, similar to papaverine. JeExt (1.0–30 mg/kg) caused suppression of carbachol (CCh, 100 μg/kg)-induced increase in inspiratory pressure of anaesthetized rats. In guinea-pig trachea, JeExt (0.001–3.0 mg/mL) relaxed CCh (1 μM)- and high K+-induced contractions and shifted isoprenaline-induced inhibitory curves to the left. This study suggests that Juniperus excelsa possibly exhibits a combination of Ca2+ antagonist and phosphodiesterase inhibitory effects, which provides a pharmacological basis for its traditional use in disorders of gut and airways hyperactivity, such as diarrhoea, colic and asthma.

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Acknowledgments

This study was partially supported by Higher Education Commission of Pakistan. Munasib Khan was on leave from University of Malakand for the PhD study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Natural Products Research Unit, Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Aga Khan University Medical College, Karachi, 74800, Pakistan

    Munasib Khan,  Najeeb-ur-Rehman & Anwarul-Hassan Gilani

  2. Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Karachi, Karachi, 75270, Pakistan

    Munasib Khan

  3. Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kohat University of Science and Technology, Kohat, 26000, KPK, Pakistan

    Arif-ullah Khan

Authors
  1. Munasib Khan
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  2. Arif-ullah Khan
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  3. Najeeb-ur-Rehman
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  4. Anwarul-Hassan Gilani
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Anwarul-Hassan Gilani.

Additional information

M. Khan was on leave from University of Malakand for the PhD study.

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Khan, M., Khan, Au., Najeeb-ur-Rehman et al. Pharmacological explanation for the medicinal use of Juniperus excelsa in hyperactive gastrointestinal and respiratory disorders. J Nat Med 66, 292–301 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11418-011-0605-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11418-011-0605-z

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