Effect of Ethanol Extract from Five Species of Salvia on the Spontaneous Contractile Ac-tivity of Isolated Rabbit Ileum

Nature has been recognized as a rich source of medicinal compounds for many years. The herb Salvia (Lamiaceae) is distributed all over West Bank different locations. In spite of the presence of several species of Salvia, only S. fruticosa has long been used locally by the native people to relief intestinal pains and diarrhea. Previous literature did not provide data considering the possibility of using other species of Salvia for the same purpose. The present study aimed to detect the effect of the ethanol extracts of five Salvia species on the sponta-neous contractile activity of rabbit ileum using organ bath system. The investigated species were S. dominica L., S. fruticosa Mill., S. judaica Boiss., S. lanigera Poir. and S. viridis L. Ethanol extract from S.fruticosa, S.dominica, S.judaica, S.viridisand S.lanigera were pre-pared. They were obtained by soaking ten grams of each plant powder in 70 % ethanol for one week with intervals shaking for two days. Then the mixtures were centrifuged for 5 min at 5000 rpm. The effect of these extracts was studied on smooth muscle contractile activity from rabbit ileum. A 3cm piece of rabbit’s ileum was suspended in 50 mL organ bath cham-ber filled with Tyrode’s solution containing ((mM): 136 Sodium chloride (NaCl), 2.7 Potassi-um chloride (KCl), and 1.4 Calcium chloride dehydrate (CaCl2 2H2O), 0.5 Magnesium chlo-ride Hexahydrate (MgCl2 6H2O), 11.9 Sodium Bicarbonate (NaHCO3), 0.42 Sodium dihy-drogenorthophosphate (NaH2PO4) and 5.56 Glucose. The system was supplied continuously with 95% oxygen and 5% carbon dioxide and maintained at 37°C. One end of the isolated segment was tied to a holder at the bottom of the bath, while the other was connected to lever of kymograph on which the contractions were recorded with a pen. All the examined ethanol extracts) except S. judaica (produced concentration-dependent spasmolytic effect on the rab-bit ileum, with the maximum was at 0.6 mg/ml concentration. All showed complete ileum contraction inhibition at 0.6 mg/ml concentration except S. judaica. In addition, the pre-treatment of ileum with ethanol extract didn’t affect the stimulatory responses of pilocarpine on the rabbit ileum. This observation could suggest that the spasmolytic effects of the ethanol extract were not mediated by cholinergic mechanism. This study could provide sound phar-macological basis for the medicinal use of Salvia species (Sage) in hyperactive gut disorders, such as abdominal colic and diarrhea. The recorded spasmolytic effect of the examined plant species might be the platform for their therapeutic effectiveness in the treatment of gastroin-testinal disorders and future use in traditional medicine. Gastro-intestinal system