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Studies on the mode of action of essential oils of scented‐leaf Pelargonium (Geraniaceae)
Author(s) -
LisBalchin M.,
Patel J.,
Hart S.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
phytotherapy research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.019
H-Index - 129
eISSN - 1099-1573
pISSN - 0951-418X
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1099-1573(199805)12:3<215::aid-ptr211>3.0.co;2-b
Subject(s) - geraniaceae , action (physics) , traditional medicine , mode of action , biology , medicine , geranium , botany , toxicology , physics , cultivar , quantum mechanics
A selection of essential oils obtained by steam distillation from scented‐leaf Pelargonium species, hybrids and cultivars were assessed for their method of spasmolytic activity in vitro using an isolated smooth muscle preparation. Their mechanism of action was postsynaptic and not atropine‐like. The spasmolytic action was correlated with the chemical composition of the essential oils assessed by gas chromatography and mass spectroscopy. The spasmolytic effect of Pelargonium essential oils with a rose‐like odour was most likely mediated through cAMP, and not through cGMP; the action of all other essential oils with diverse odours was neither through cAMP, cGMP, nor via calcium channel blockade or potassium channel activation. The mechanism of action of the main components of the rose‐like pelargoniums, citronellol and geraniol, reflected that of the whole oils. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.