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Planta Med 1974; 25(2): 175-182
DOI: 10.1055/s-0028-1097929
© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York

PHARMACOLOGICAL ACTIVITY OF THE MAJOR ALKALOID FROM PESCHIERA AFFINIS

M. C. Fonteles1 , D. Jerram, F. J. A. Matos2 , R. P. Ahlquist
  • Department of Pharmacology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, Georgia 30902, U.S.A. and Department of Organic Chemistry, Universidade Federal do Ceara, 60 000 Fortaleza, Ceara, Brazil
1 Fellow of the Organization of American States. 2 Research work sponsored in part by Conselho Nacional de Pesquisas, Brazil and the American Heart Association grant 69-637 and USPHS-NIH grant (RR-5365).
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Publication Date:
14 January 2009 (online)

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Abstract

The results presented herein establish a definite antispasmodic effect of a purified alkaloid of P. affinis (APA) and agrees with the previous findings of Barros et al. (1970), with the crude extracts. APA was found to depress spontaneous activity in intestinal, uterine and vascular smooth muscle, and in cardiac pacemaker and myocardial tissue. Similarly, it blocked cholinergic activation of intestinal smooth muscle and skeletal muscle and adrenergic activation of the rabbit uterine smooth muscle. APA did not block caffeine induced contracture in frog rectus abdominis or reverse Ach contracture after it had been induced. These findings give evidence of the cell membrane as the site of action of APA.