Effects of dibenzylbutyrolactone lignans arctigenin and trachelogenin on the motility of isolated rat ileum

Peter Kiplang'at Koech; Imre Boldizsár; Arpád Dobolyi; Petra Varró

doi:10.1016/j.toxrep.2022.05.019

Effects of dibenzylbutyrolactone lignans arctigenin and trachelogenin on the motility of isolated rat ileum

Toxicol Rep. 2022 May 27:9:1222-1232. doi: 10.1016/j.toxrep.2022.05.019. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Peter Kiplang'at Koech¹, Imre Boldizsár², Arpád Dobolyi^{1

3}, Petra Varró¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Physiology and Neurobiology, Institute of Biology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary.
² Department of Plant Anatomy, Institute of Biology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary.
³ ELKH-ELTE Laboratory of Molecular and Systems Neurobiology, Department of Physiology and Neurobiology, Eötvös Loránd University and Eötvös Loránd Research Network, Budapest, Hungary.

Abstract

Dibenzylbutyrolactone-type lignans are phenolic compounds of medical importance. The purpose of the study was to determine the effects of two such lignans, arctigenin and trachelogenin on the motility of isolated rat ileum and obtain indications on their mechanism of action. They were isolated from Arctium lappa and Cirsium arvense, respectively, which have been used traditionally to treat gastrointestinal disorders. 1-1.5 cm long segments of distal ileum were obtained from adult male Wistar rats. The intestinal segments were suspended vertically in a well-aerated organ-bath according to Magnus mounting method. The intestinal motility was monitored for 30 min before treatment to obtain the baseline, followed by treatment with 1 µM, 10 µM, 20 µM and 40 µM concentrations of arctigenin and 0.5 µM, 1 µM, 10 µM and 20 µM of trachelogenin concentrations. The amplitude, tone, and period of spontaneous contractions were measured after 15 and 30 min of treatment. To investigate their mechanism of action, cholinergic, glutamatergic, adrenergic antagonists and compounds inhibiting nitric oxide synthase and L-type calcium channels were also tested. Arctigenin and trachelogenin decreased the frequency of contractions in a dose-dependent manner. At the concentration of 20 µM and 40 µM of trachelogenin and arctigenin, respectively, there was a marked alteration in spontaneous contraction pattern with an observable increase in the period time. This activity was comparable to 0.5 µM nifedipine (L-type calcium channel blocker) treatment. Our results demonstrate relaxant effect of arctigenin and trachelogenin on the ileum motility that may be mediated by L-type calcium ion channel blockade.

Keywords: AP5, DL-2-Amino-5-phosphonopentanoic acid; ATG, arctigenin; Arctigenin; CNQX, 6-cyano-7-nitro-quinoxaline-2,3-dione; DMSO, Dimethyl sulfoxide; HPLC, High performance liquid chromatography; Ileum; L-NAME, Nw-Nitro-L-arginine Methyl Ester, Hydrochloride; L-type calcium ion channel; Motility; NMDA, N-Methyl-d-aspartic acid; TGN, trachelogenin; Trachelogenin.