Gut modulatory and antiplatelet activities of Viscum cruciatum

Abstract

Viscum cruciatum Sieber (Viscaceae) is widely used in folk medicine for various gastrointestinal and inflammatory disorders. The crude extract of Viscum cruciatum (VCr), which tested positive for alkaloids, flavonoids, coumarins, saponins, sterols, tannins, and terpenes, caused concentration-dependent (0.01–3.0 mg/mL) relaxation of spontaneous and K⁺ (80 mM)-induced contractions of isolated rabbit jejunum, similar to that caused by verapamil. VCr shifted the Ca²⁺ concentration–response curves to the right with suppression of the maximum response, like verapamil. In guinea-pig ileum preparations, VCr caused atropine-sensitive spasmogenic effects. When tested for its effect on human platelets, VCr inhibited the adrenaline and adenosine 5′-diphosphate (ADP)-induced human platelet aggregation at the concentration range of 0.3–1.2 mg/mL. These observations indicate the presence of spasmogenic, spasmolytic, and antiplatelet activities in Viscum cruciatum mediated through cholinergic and calcium channel antagonist activities along with the blockade of adrenergic and ADP receptors, respectively, which explains its medicinal use in gut motility and inflammatory disorders.

Keywords::

• Viscum cruciatum
• antispasmodic
• Ca2+ channel antagonist
• spasmogenic
• antiplatelet

Acknowledgements

This study was carried out during the elective-ship of Malik Hassan Mehmood at The Aga Khan University and Dr. Panjwani Center for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research, University of Karachi, with financial support from the Higher Education Commission, Government of Pakistan.