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Planta Med
DOI: 10.1055/a-2303-9608
Original Papers

Bryophyllum pinnatum Inhibits Oxytocin and Vasopressin Signaling in Myometrial Cells

Leonie Zurfluh
1   Department of Obstetrics, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
,
Lauriane Duvaud
2   Institute of Pharma Technology, School of Life Sciences, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland FHNW, Muttenz, Switzerland
,
Nejla Inci
2   Institute of Pharma Technology, School of Life Sciences, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland FHNW, Muttenz, Switzerland
,
Olivier Potterat 
3   Division of Pharmaceutical Biology, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
,
Ana Paula Simões-Wüst 
1   Department of Obstetrics, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
,
Johannes Mosbacher 
2   Institute of Pharma Technology, School of Life Sciences, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland FHNW, Muttenz, Switzerland
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Abstract

The medicinal plant Bryophyllum pinnatum was previously shown to block oxytocin (OT)-induced signals in myometrial cells, consistent with its tocolytic effect observed in patients. OT activates not only OT receptors but also V1A receptors, two receptors with high receptor homology that are both expressed in the myometrium and play a crucial role in myometrial contraction signaling. We aimed to study the molecular pharmacology of B. pinnatum herbal preparations using specific receptor ligands, the human myometrial cell line hTERT-C3, and cell lines expressing recombinant human OT and V1A receptors.

We found that press juice from B. pinnatum (BPJ) inhibits both OT- and vasopressin (AVP)-induced intracellular calcium increases in hTERT-C3 myometrial cells. In additional assays performed with cells expressing recombinant receptors, BPJ also inhibited OT and V1A receptor-mediated signals with a similar potency (IC50 about 0.5 mg/mL). We further studied endogenous OT- and AVP-sensitive receptors in hTERT-C3 cells and found that OT and AVP stimulated those receptors with similar potency (EC50 of ~ 1 nM), suggesting expression of both receptor subtypes. This interpretation was corroborated by the antagonist potencies of atosiban and relcovaptan that we found. However, using qPCR, we almost exclusively found expression of OT receptors suggesting a pharmacological difference between recombinant OT receptors and native receptors expressed in hTERT-C3 cells.

In conclusion, we show that B. pinnatum inhibits both OT and AVP signaling, which may point beyond its tocolytic effects to other indications involving a disbalance in the vasopressinergic system.

Keywords

Bryophyllum pinnatum - Crassulaceae - oxytocin - vasopressin - V1A receptor - OT receptor - myometrium


Publikationsverlauf

Eingereicht: 11. Februar 2024

Angenommen nach Revision: 10. April 2024

Accepted Manuscript online:
10. April 2024

Artikel online veröffentlicht:
08. Mai 2024

© 2024. Thieme. All rights reserved.

Georg Thieme Verlag KG
Rüdigerstraße 14, 70469 Stuttgart, Germany

 

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