title: In vitro vasoactivity of zerumbone from Zingiber zerumbet.
abstract: The sesquiterpene zerumbone, isolated from the rhizome of Zingiber zerumbet Sm., besides its widespread use as a food flavouring and appetiser, is also recommended in traditional medicine for the treatment of several ailments. It has attracted great attention recently for its effective chemopreventive and therapeutic effects observed in various models of cancer. To assess the zerumbone safety profile, a pharmacology study designed to flag any potential adverse effect on vasculature was performed. Zerumbone was tested for vasorelaxing activity on rat aorta rings and for L-type Ba(2+) current blocking activity on single myocytes isolated from the rat-tail artery. The spasmolytic effect of zerumbone was more marked on rings stimulated with 60 mM than with 30 mM K(+) (IC50 values of 16 µM and 102 µM, respectively). In the presence of 60 mM K(+), zerumbone concentration-dependently inhibited the contraction induced by the cumulative additions of Ca(2+), this inhibition being inversely related to the Ca(2+) concentration. Phenylephrine-induced contraction was inhibited by the drug, though less efficiently and independently of the presence of an intact endothelium, without affecting Ca(2+) release from the intracellular stores. Zerumbone inhibited the L-type Ba(2+) current (estimated IC50 value of 458.7 µM) and accelerated the kinetics of current decay. In conclusion, zerumbone showed an overall weak in vitro vasodilating activity, partly attributable to the blocking of the L-type Ca(2+) channel, which does not seem to represent, however, a serious threat to its widespread use.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita, Università di Siena, Siena, Italy.
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fusi
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita, Università di Siena, Siena, Italy.
authors.forename: Miriam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Durante
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita, Università di Siena, Siena, Italy.
authors.forename: Giampietro
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sgaragli
authors.affiliation: Institute of Natural Products Chemistry, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam.
authors.forename: Pham Ngoc
authors.initials: PN
authors.lastname: Khanh
authors.affiliation: Institute of Natural Products Chemistry, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam.
authors.forename: Ninh The
authors.initials: NT
authors.lastname: Son
authors.affiliation: Institute of Natural Products Chemistry, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam.
authors.forename: Tran Thu
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Huong
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Chemistry, VNU University of Science, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, Vietnam.
authors.forename: Van Ngoc
authors.initials: VN
authors.lastname: Huong
authors.affiliation: Institute of Natural Products Chemistry, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam.
authors.forename: Nguyen Manh
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Cuong
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D015220:Calcium Channels / Q000378:metabolism; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008297:Male; D009119:Muscle Contraction / Q000187:drug effects*; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D010276:Parasympatholytics / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology; D010656:Phenylephrine; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D027343:Rhizome; D012717:Sesquiterpenes / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014661:Vasoconstriction / Q000187:drug effects*; D014664:Vasodilation / Q000187:drug effects*; D030521:Zingiberaceae / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D015220:Calcium Channels; D010276:Parasympatholytics; D010936:Plant Extracts; D012717:Sesquiterpenes; D010656:Phenylephrine; C403304:zerumbone; D002118:Calcium