title: Effects of adlay hull extracts on uterine contraction and Ca2+ mobilization in the rat.
abstract: Dysmenorrhea is directly related to elevated PGF(2alpha) levels. It is treated with nonsteroid antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in Western medicine. Since NSAIDs produce many side effects, Chinese medicinal therapy is considered as a feasible alternative medicine. Adlay (Coix lachryma-jobi L. var. ma-yuen Stapf.) has been used as a traditional Chinese medicine for treating dysmenorrhea. However, the relationship between smooth muscle contraction and adlay extracts remains veiled. Therefore, we investigated this relationship in the rat uterus by measuring uterine contraction activity and recording the intrauterine pressure. We studied the in vivo and in vitro effects of the methanolic extracts of adlay hull (AHM) on uterine smooth muscle contraction. The extracts were fractionated using four different solvents: water, 1-butanol, ethyl acetate, and n-hexane; the four respective fractions were AHM-Wa, AHM-Bu, AHM-EA, and AHM-Hex. AHM-EA and its subfractions (175 microg/ml) inhibited uterine contractions induced by PGF(2alpha), the Ca(2+) channel activator Bay K 8644, and high K(+) in a concentration-dependent manner in vitro. AHM-EA also inhibited PGF(2alpha)-induced uterine contractions in vivo; furthermore, 375 microg/ml of AHM-EA inhibited the Ca(2+)-dependent uterine contractions. Thus 375 microg/ml of AHM-EA consistently suppressed the increases in intracellular Ca(2+) concentrations induced by PGF(2alpha) and high K(+). We also demonstrated that naringenin and quercetin are the major pure chemical components of AHM-EA that inhibit PGF(2alpha)-induced uterine contractions. Thus AHM-EA probably inhibited uterine contraction by blocking external Ca(2+) influx, leading to a decrease in intracellular Ca(2+) concentration. Thus adlay hull may be considered as a feasible alternative therapeutic agent for dysmenorrhea.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Food Science and Technology, National Taiwan Univ., Taipei 106, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: Shih-Min
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Hsia
authors.forename: Yueh-Hsiung
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Kuo
authors.forename: Wenchang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Chiang
authors.forename: Paulus S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D001498:3-Pyridinecarboxylic acid, 1,4-dihydro-2,6-dimethyl-5-nitro-4-(2-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)-, Methyl ester / Q000494:pharmacology; D000019:Abortifacient Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D002120:Calcium Channel Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D031742:Coix / Q000737:chemistry*; D015237:Dinoprost / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D000432:Methanol; D032389:Myocytes, Smooth Muscle / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology; D011189:Potassium Chloride / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012639:Seeds / Q000737:chemistry; D012997:Solvents; D013347:Subcellular Fractions / Q000187:drug effects; D014590:Uterine Contraction / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D000019:Abortifacient Agents; D002120:Calcium Channel Agonists; D010936:Plant Extracts; D012997:Solvents; D011189:Potassium Chloride; D001498:3-Pyridinecarboxylic acid, 1,4-dihydro-2,6-dimethyl-5-nitro-4-(2-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)-, Methyl ester; D015237:Dinoprost; D002118:Calcium; D000432:Methanol