Journal of Natural Medicines

, Volume 63, Issue 1, pp 1–8 | Cite as

Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna Jacq.) extract exhibits atropine-sensitive activity in a cultured cardiomyocyte assay

  • Satin Salehi
  • Shannon R. Long
  • Philip J. Proteau
  • Theresa M. Filtz
Original Paper
First Online:
Received:
Accepted:

Abstract

Hawthorn (Crataegus spp.) plant extract is used as a herbal alternative medicine for the prevention and treatment of various cardiovascular diseases. Recently, it was shown that hawthorn extract preparations caused negative chronotropic effects in a cultured neonatal murine cardiomyocyte assay, independent of beta-adrenergic receptor blockade. The aim of this study was to further characterize the effect of hawthorn extract to decrease the contraction rate of cultured cardiomyocytes. To test the hypothesis that hawthorn is acting via muscarinic receptors, the effect of hawthorn extract on atrial versus ventricular cardiomyocytes in culture was evaluated. As would be expected for activation of muscarinic receptors, hawthorn extract had a greater effect in atrial cells. Atrial and/or ventricular cardiomyocytes were then treated with hawthorn extract in the presence of atropine or himbacine. Changes in the contraction rate of cultured cardiomyocytes revealed that both muscarinic antagonists significantly attenuated the negative chronotropic activity of hawthorn extract. Using quinuclidinyl benzilate, l-[benzylic-4,4′-3H] ([3H]-QNB) as a radioligand antagonist, the effect of a partially purified hawthorn extract fraction to inhibit muscarinic receptor binding was quantified. Hawthorn extract fraction 3 dose-dependently inhibited [3H]-QNB binding to mouse heart membranes. Taken together, these findings suggest that decreased contraction frequency by hawthorn extracts in neonatal murine cardiomyocytes may be mediated via muscarinic receptor activation.

Keywords

Hawthorn Neonatal cardiomyocyte Atropine Himbacine [3H]-QNB 
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Notes

Acknowledgments

We thank Dr. Jane Ishmael for sharing animals for most efficient use and Dr. Fred Menino for generously sharing the use of his videomicroscopy system. We would like to thank the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University for a pilot project grant and the American Heart Association for a Grant in Aid to conduct this work.

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Copyright information

© The Japanese Society of Pharmacognosy and Springer 2008

Authors and Affiliations

  • Satin Salehi
    • 1
  • Shannon R. Long
    • 1
  • Philip J. Proteau
    • 1
  • Theresa M. Filtz
    • 1
  1. 1.Department of Pharmaceutical SciencesOregon State University College of PharmacyCorvallisUSA

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