Spasmolytic effect of caulerpine involves blockade of Ca²⁺ influx on guinea pig ileum

Mar Drugs. 2013 May 13;11(5):1553-64. doi: 10.3390/md11051553.

Abstract

In this work, we investigated the spasmolytic effect of caulerpine, a bisindole alkaloid isolated from marine algae of the Caulerpa genus, on guinea pig ileum. Our findings indicated that caulerpine inhibited phasic contractions induced by carbachol (IC₅₀ = 7.0 ± 1.9 × 10⁻⁵ M), histamine (IC₅₀ = 1.3 ± 0.3 × 10⁻⁴ M) and serotonin (IC₅₀ = 8.0 ± 1.4 × 10⁻⁵ M) in a non-selective manner. Furthermore, caulerpine concentration-dependently inhibited serotonin-induced cumulative contractions (pD'₂ = 4.48 ± 0.08), shifting the curves to the right with Emax reduction and slope of 2.44 ± 0.21, suggesting a noncompetitive antagonism pseudo-irreversible. The alkaloid also relaxed the ileum pre-contracted by KCl (EC₅₀ = 9.0 ± 0.9 × 10⁻⁵ M) and carbachol (EC₅₀ = 4.6 ± 0.7 × 10⁻⁵ M) in a concentration-dependent manner. This effect was probably due to inhibition of Ca²⁺ influx through voltage-gated calcium channels (CaV), since caulerpine slightly inhibited the CaCl₂-induced contractions in depolarizing medium without Ca²⁺, shifting the curves to the right and with Emax reduction. According to these results, the spasmolytic effect of caulerpine on guinea pig ileum seems to involve inhibition of Ca²⁺ influx through CaV. However, other mechanisms are not discarded.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Calcium / metabolism*
  • Calcium Channels / drug effects
  • Calcium Channels / metabolism
  • Carbachol / administration & dosage
  • Carbachol / pharmacology
  • Caulerpa / chemistry*
  • Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
  • Female
  • Guinea Pigs
  • Histamine / administration & dosage
  • Histamine / pharmacology
  • Ileum / drug effects
  • Ileum / metabolism
  • Indoles / administration & dosage
  • Indoles / isolation & purification
  • Indoles / pharmacology*
  • Inhibitory Concentration 50
  • Male
  • Muscle Contraction / drug effects
  • Parasympatholytics / administration & dosage
  • Parasympatholytics / isolation & purification
  • Parasympatholytics / pharmacology*
  • Serotonin / administration & dosage
  • Serotonin / pharmacology

Substances

  • Calcium Channels
  • Indoles
  • Parasympatholytics
  • caulerpin
  • Serotonin
  • Histamine
  • Carbachol
  • Calcium