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Two-step inhibitory effect of kanzo on oxytocin-induced and prostaglandin F2α-induced uterine myometrial contractions

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Abstract

We previously reported that shakuyaku-kanzo-to, a kampo medicine consisting of shakuyaku and kanzo, has an inhibitory effect on myometrial contractions in pregnant women. In this study, we evaluated the effects of kanzo, glycyrrhizin (a major component of kanzo), glycyrrhetinic acid (GA; a major metabolite of glycyrrhizin), shakuyaku, and paeoniflorin (a major component of shakuyaku) on agonist-induced contractions of the uterus of pregnant humans and rats. We prepared myometrial strips from the uterus of pregnant humans and rats and induced contractions with oxytocin (50 μU/mL) or prostaglandin F2α (PGF2α) (10−7 or 10−6 M). Kanzo (250 μg/mL) and GA (5 × 10−6 M) inhibited the oxytocin-induced and PGF2α-induced contractions in pregnant human and rat myometrium, but shakuyaku (250 μg/mL), paeoniflorin (10−5 M), and glycyrrhizin (10−5 M) did not inhibit contractions in either. Interestingly, kanzo and GA showed an inhibitory effect after temporarily enhancing the PGF2α-induced contractions in the rat myometrium, but not in the human myometrium. These results suggest that kanzo has at least a two-step inhibitory effect on the myometrial contractions that originate from the kanzo itself and a metabolite of glycyrrhizin in kanzo. Furthermore, kanzo was found to be safe for inhibiting PGF2α-induced contractions in humans because it did not temporarily enhance PGF2α-induced contractions.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Ms. Miyuki Imai for her excellent technical assistance and Ms. Ayu Yamamoto for her secretarial assistance. This work was supported by a grant from the Japan Smoking Research Foundation.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest regarding the publication of this article.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Affiliated Takii Hospital, Kansai Medical University, 10-15 Fumizono-cho, Moriguchi, Osaka, 570-8507, Japan

    Genichiro Sumi, Katsuhiko Yasuda, Chiharu Kanamori & Megumi Kajimoto

  2. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Kansai Medical University, Moriguchi, Japan

    Akemi Nishigaki, Tomoko Tsuzuki, Hisayuu Cho, Hidetaka Okada & Hideharu Kanzaki

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  1. Genichiro Sumi
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  2. Katsuhiko Yasuda
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  3. Chiharu Kanamori
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  4. Megumi Kajimoto
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Correspondence to Katsuhiko Yasuda.

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Sumi, G., Yasuda, K., Kanamori, C. et al. Two-step inhibitory effect of kanzo on oxytocin-induced and prostaglandin F2α-induced uterine myometrial contractions. J Nat Med 68, 550–560 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11418-014-0835-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11418-014-0835-y

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