title: Cortex phellodendri Extract Relaxes Airway Smooth Muscle.
abstract: Cortex phellodendri is used to reduce fever and remove dampness and toxin. Berberine is an active ingredient of C. phellodendri. Berberine from Argemone ochroleuca can relax airway smooth muscle (ASM); however, whether the nonberberine component of C. phellodendri has similar relaxant action was unclear. An n-butyl alcohol extract of C. phellodendri (NBAECP, nonberberine component) was prepared, which completely inhibits high K(+)- and acetylcholine- (ACH-) induced precontraction of airway smooth muscle in tracheal rings and lung slices from control and asthmatic mice, respectively. The contraction induced by high K(+) was also blocked by nifedipine, a selective blocker of L-type Ca(2+) channels. The ACH-induced contraction was partially inhibited by nifedipine and pyrazole 3, an inhibitor of TRPC3 and STIM/Orai channels. Taken together, our data demonstrate that NBAECP can relax ASM by inhibiting L-type Ca(2+) channels and TRPC3 and/or STIM/Orai channels, suggesting that NBAECP could be developed to a new drug for relieving bronchospasm.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Medical Biology & Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory for Protection and Application of Special Plants in Wuling Area of China, College of Life Sciences, South-Central University for Nationalities, Wuhan 430074, China.
authors.forename: Qiu-Ju
authors.initials: QJ
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Institute for Medical Biology & Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory for Protection and Application of Special Plants in Wuling Area of China, College of Life Sciences, South-Central University for Nationalities, Wuhan 430074, China.
authors.forename: Weiwei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicine Resource and Compound Prescription, Hubei University of Chinese Medicine, Wuhan 430065, China.
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Dan
authors.affiliation: Institute for Medical Biology & Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory for Protection and Application of Special Plants in Wuling Area of China, College of Life Sciences, South-Central University for Nationalities, Wuhan 430074, China.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.affiliation: Institute for Medical Biology & Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory for Protection and Application of Special Plants in Wuling Area of China, College of Life Sciences, South-Central University for Nationalities, Wuhan 430074, China.
authors.forename: He
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: College of Pharmacy, South-Central University for Nationalities, Wuhan 430074, China.
authors.forename: Guangzhong
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Institute for Medical Biology & Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory for Protection and Application of Special Plants in Wuling Area of China, College of Life Sciences, South-Central University for Nationalities, Wuhan 430074, China.
authors.forename: Jinhua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.affiliation: Institute for Medical Biology & Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory for Protection and Application of Special Plants in Wuling Area of China, College of Life Sciences, South-Central University for Nationalities, Wuhan 430074, China.
authors.forename: Yong-Bo
authors.initials: YB
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.affiliation: Institute for Medical Biology & Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory for Protection and Application of Special Plants in Wuling Area of China, College of Life Sciences, South-Central University for Nationalities, Wuhan 430074, China.
authors.forename: Ping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Institute for Medical Biology & Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory for Protection and Application of Special Plants in Wuling Area of China, College of Life Sciences, South-Central University for Nationalities, Wuhan 430074, China.
authors.forename: Lu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Xue
authors.affiliation: Institute for Medical Biology & Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory for Protection and Application of Special Plants in Wuling Area of China, College of Life Sciences, South-Central University for Nationalities, Wuhan 430074, China.
authors.forename: Meng-Fei
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Institute for Medical Biology & Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory for Protection and Application of Special Plants in Wuling Area of China, College of Life Sciences, South-Central University for Nationalities, Wuhan 430074, China.
authors.forename: Liqun
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: Institute for Medical Biology & Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory for Protection and Application of Special Plants in Wuling Area of China, College of Life Sciences, South-Central University for Nationalities, Wuhan 430074, China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Tang
authors.initials: XT
authors.lastname: Si
authors.affiliation: Wuhan Institute for Neuroscience and Engineering, South-Central University for Nationalities, Wuhan 430074, China.
authors.forename: Zhuo
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Wuhan Institute for Neuroscience and Engineering, South-Central University for Nationalities, Wuhan 430074, China.
authors.forename: Jiapei
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dai
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine-Cardiology, Feinberg Cardiovascular Research Institute, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60611, USA.
authors.forename: Gangjian
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Qin
authors.affiliation: Acute Lung Injury Center of Excellence, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
authors.forename: Chunbin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zou
authors.affiliation: Institute for Medical Biology & Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory for Protection and Application of Special Plants in Wuling Area of China, College of Life Sciences, South-Central University for Nationalities, Wuhan 430074, China.
authors.forename: Qing-Hua
authors.initials: QH
authors.lastname: Liu