title: In vitro relaxation of rabbit and human internal anal sphincter by rutaecarpine, an alkaloid isolated from Evodia rutaecarpa.
abstract: Rutaecarpine, a compound extracted from the Chinese medicinal herb Evodia rutaecarpa, has been shown to possess relaxing action on vascular smooth muscle from rat thoracic aorta. The internal anal sphincter is a specialized smooth muscle regulating important anorectal physiology. To investigate the effect and underlying mechanisms of rutaecarpine on internal anal sphincter, muscle strips from rabbit internal anal sphincter were used. The results showed that rutaecarpine (1 x 10(-10) M to 1 x 10(-4) M) produced a concentration-dependent muscular relaxation effect in our preparations, which were precontracted with acetylcholine. This muscular relaxation effect was not affected by treatment with L-N(G)-nitro-arginine methyl ester (a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor), methylene blue (a guanylate cyclase inhibitor), N-ethylmaleimide (an adenylate cyclase inhibitor), or by removal of the mucosa and submucosa tissue. Pretreatment with nifedipine (a calcium channel blocker) or extracellular Ca+2 removal by ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) greatly attenuated the relaxation effect, suggesting that calcium ion might be involved. In experiments using strips from human internal anal sphincter, an even more prominent relaxation effect was shown. It is thus concluded that rutaecarpine caused relaxation on internal anal sphincter from rabbits and human subjects. The relaxation action was not related to NO-cGMP pathway, instead calcium ion might play an important role and shed insight into clinical implications for those anorectal disorders with hyperactive anal tone.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Veterans General Hospital-Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: J K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Chiu
authors.forename: I T
authors.initials: IT
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: J K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Lin
mesh_terms: D000109:Acetylcholine / Q000494:pharmacology; D000470:Alkaloids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001003:Anal Canal / Q000187:drug effects*; D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004492:Edetic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D005033:Ethylmaleimide / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D026121:Indole Alkaloids; D008297:Male; D008751:Methylene Blue / Q000494:pharmacology; D009126:Muscle Relaxation / Q000187:drug effects*; D009130:Muscle, Smooth / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D019331:NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester / Q000494:pharmacology; D009543:Nifedipine / Q000494:pharmacology; D011799:Quinazolines; D011817:Rabbits; D013045:Species Specificity; D014665:Vasodilator Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D052999:Quinazolinones
chemical_list: D000109:Acetylcholine; D000470:Alkaloids; D002118:Calcium; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D004492:Edetic Acid; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D005033:Ethylmaleimide; D026121:Indole Alkaloids; D008751:Methylene Blue; D019331:NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester; D009543:Nifedipine; D011799:Quinazolines; D014665:Vasodilator Agents; C028632:rutecarpine; D052999:Quinazolinones