Antispasmodic Effect of Blackcurrant (Ribes nigrum L.) Juice and Its Potential Use as Functional Food in Gastrointestinal Disorders

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relaxative effects of blackcurrant juice on the gastrointestinal smooth muscle in vitro.

Materials and methods: Berries of the blackcurrant cultivar Ometa were used for the preparation of the juice used. The spasmolytic activity of blackcurrant juice was tested on rat ileum isolated from male Wistar rats by monitoring its influence on spontaneous contractions, as well as contractions induced by potassium chloride (KCl), barium chloride (BaCl2), calcium chloride (CaCl2), and acetylcholine (Ach). The results are expressed as the mean ± standard deviation obtained in 6 measurements and statistical significance was determined by the Student t test, with p < 0.05 taken as significant.

Results: The blackcurrant cultivar Ometa significantly reduced the frequency and the amplitude of spontaneous contractions (57.94 ± 3.44%) and Ach-induced contractions (42.74 ± 5.36%; p < 0.05) of the isolated rat ileum. Cumulative concentrations (0.01-3 mg/mL) of the Ometa juice also reduced contractions of the isolated rat ileum stimulated by KCl (51.46 ± 6.87%), CaCl2 (57.54 ± 6.47%), and BaCl2 (58.54 ± 10.55%). The inhibitory effects of the juice were proportional to the applied concentration.

Conclusion: The antispasmodic effect of Ometa cultivar shows that common gastrointestinal disorders could be treated by the functional food.

Keywords: Acetylcholine; Blackcurrant; Gastrointestinal disorder; Spasmolytic activity; Spontaneous contractions.