Nepeta suavis is used in traditional medicine for treatment of abdominal spasm (colic). The tricyclic clerodane type diterpene, nepetolide, isolated for the first time from Nepeta suavis. was evaluated for Ca++ antagonist and antispasmodic activities. When studied in isolated rabbit jejunum, nepetolide caused concentration-dependent (0.03–100 μM) relaxation of spontaneous and high K+ (80 mM)-induced contractions, like that caused by verapamil, indicating that nepetolide exhibits spasmolytic activity, possibly mediated through Ca++ channel blocking action, which provides scientific explanation for the medicinal application of Nepeta suavis as an antispasmodic agent.
(a) BaserK.H.C., KirimerN., KurkcuogluM., DemirciB. (2000) Essential oil of Nepeta species growing in Turkey. Chemistry of Natural Compounds, 36, 356–359; (b) Sattar A, Bankova V, Kujumgiev A, Galabov A, Ignatova A, Todorova C. (1995) Chemical composition and biological activity of leaf extract from some Lamiaceae plants. Pharmazie, 50, 62-65; (c) Javid H, Farman UK, Hidayat H, Tasleem H, Muhammad RS. (2008) Nepetolide: A new diterpene from Nepeta sauvis. Zeitschrift für Naturforschung B Chemical Sciences, 63b, 91-594.
2.
(a) KarakiH., WeissG. (1988) Mini-review: Calcium release in smooth muscles. Life Sciences, 42, 111–122; (b) Janbaz KH, Zia U, Mehmood MH, Bashir S, Choudhary, MI, Gilani, AH. (2012) Anti-inflammatory, free radical scavenging and calcium antagonist activities of Corchorus fascicularis lam. crude extract. The Journal of Animal & Plant Sciences, 22, 954-959; (c) Rahman A, Khalid A, Sultana N, Ghayur MN, Mesaik MA, Khan MR. (2006) New natural cholinesterase inhibiting and calcium channel blocking quinoline alkaloids. Journal of Enzyme Inhibition and Medicinal Chemistry, 21, 703-710.
3.
(a) FleckensteinA. (1977) Specific pharmacology of calcium in myocardium, cardiac pacemakers, and vascular smooth muscle. Annual Review of Pharmacology and Toxicology, 17, 149–166; (b) Janbaz KH, Sana J, Saqib F, Imran I, Zia-Ul-Haq M, De Feo V. (2015) Validation of ethnopharmacological uses of Heliotropium strigosum Willd. as spasmolytic, bronchodilator and vasorelaxant remedy. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 15, 169. DOI: 10.1186/s12906-015-0697-1; (c) Rakesh K, Balbir K, Bajaj VK. (2013) Calcium channel blocking activity of a dihydropyrimidine derivative (BKVIII) on rabbit's aortic strip. Journal of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapeutics, 4, 64-66.
4.
(a) National Research Council. (1996) Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals.National Academy Press, Washington, 1–7; (b) GilaniA.H., GhayurM.N., KhalidA., HaqZ., ChoudharyM.I., RahmanA. (2005) Presence of antispasmodic, antidiarrheal, antisecretory, calcium antagonists and acetylcholineestrase inhibitory steroidal alkaloids in Sarcocca saligna. Planta Medica, 71, 1-6; (c) Farre AJ, Columbo M, Fort M, Gutierrez B. (1991) Differential effects of various Ca++ antagonists. General Pharmacology, 22, 177-181.
