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Hypotensive effect of Laurelia sempervirens (Monimiaceae) on normotensive rats
Author(s) -
SchmedaHirschmann G.,
Loyola J. I.,
Rodriguez J.,
DutraBehrens M.
Publication year - 1994
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/ptr.2650080112
Subject(s) - diuretic , body weight , traditional medicine , blood pressure , biology , pharmacognosy , toxicity , alkaloid , pharmacology , medicine , botany , biological activity , endocrinology , biochemistry , in vitro
The leaves of Laurelia sempervirens (Monimiaceae), an endemic Chilean tree known as ‘Laurel’, were used by the Mapuche Amerindians for treating headache and as a diuretic. Intravenous administration of a hydroalcoholic L. sempervirens extract to rats, elicited a hypotensive response of −27.0%±2.0% in the mean blood pressure of normotensive animals at a dose of 5 mg crude extract ± kg body weight. Bioassay‐guided isolation of the active ‘Laurel’ metabolites led to the alkaloid laurotetanine as the main hypotensive principle of L. sempervirens leaves. At 1 mg/kg body weight, laurotetanine produced a hypotensive response of −29.0%±2.1% in the mean blood pressure of normotensive rats, with a duration of 2 min, both comparable to those elicited by the crude extract at 5 mg/kg. In the acute oral toxicity study, ‘Laurel’ proved to be a very low toxicity crude drug at doses up to 3 g crude extract/kg body weight. The data obtained support the use of L. sempervirens in Mapuche traditional medicine.