title: Sedative and hypnotic properties of Salvia guaranitica St. Hil. and of its active principle, Cirsiliol.
abstract: Salvia guaranitica St. Hil. is a traditional medicinal plant used in Latin America as sedative. We have recently demonstrated the presence of cirsiliol in its extracts and found that this flavonoid is a competitive low affinity benzodiazepine receptor ligand (Marder et al., 1996). This report describes the pharmacological properties of Salvia guaranitica extracts and of its active principle, cirsiliol. A partially purified fraction of this plant, administered intraperitoneally in mice (in a dose equivalent to 3 g of the fresh plant), exhibited sedative and hypnotic effects as measured in the hole board and in the pentobarbital-induced sleep tests, respectively. On the other hand, this fraction had no anxiolytic or myorelaxant effects. In the pentobarbital-induced sleep test, cirsiliol (2-10mg/kg, i. p.) exhibited a dose-dependent hypnotic action. In contrast, it did not produce myorelaxant (up to 30mg/kg) or anticonvulsant (up to 10mg/kg) effects. Cirsiliol was found to be more potent in displacing (3)H Zolpidem binding (K(i) = 20 LiM) than (3)H flunitrazepam binding (K(i) = 200 μM) to benzodiazepine receptors from rat cerebral cortex. It is concluded that Salvia guaranitica extracts and its active principle cirsiliol, possess sedative and hypnotic properties; cirsiliol produces these effects probably acting on the so-called type I benzodiazepine receptor.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Biologia Celular y Neurociencias, Facultad de Medicina, UBA.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Viola
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wasowski
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Marder
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wolfman
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Paladini
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Medina