Invitro Study of the Effects of Coffee and Thyme on Isolated Airway Smooth Muscle Tissue of Guinea Pigs
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Date
2011-08
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Coffea arabica and Thymus schimperi are plants claimed in traditional
medicine to possess numerous beneficial/healing effects including therapeutics in asthma due to
airway smooth muscle relaxant properties. The objective of this study was to investigate the
bronchodilator effects of these plants crude extracts on guinea pig trachea smooth muscles.
METHODS: Isolated guinea-pig trachea rings were used to study the effects of hydroalcholic and
n-hexane crude extracts of the beans of Coffea arabica and the leaves of Thymus schimperi in
vitro in the presence of acetylcholine by using single dosage method of extract administration.
Salbutamol was used as a standard drug. RESULTS: Investigation of the
effects hydroalcholic (methanol 80%) and n-hexane crude extract
of Coffea arabica L. and Thymus schimperi R. on an isolated trachea smooth muscle tissue in the
presence of Ach (in vitro) yielded an overall contractile response. The contractile responses of the
plant crude extracts in the absence of Ach were clearly evident on the isolated tissue to variable
degrees depending on type of plant, type of plant extract and amount of dosage administered to
the tissue. The tissue contractile response to Ach (160ng) alone, which peaked at 1.75mm (mean
peak point) from baseline on the polygraph chart, was used as a positive control for contraction.
In the presence of the plant extracts (both plants and types of extracts), the contractile response of
the GPT when Ach was added had an amplified (additive) contractile effect except for the 50μg
dose group of n- hexane crude extract of Coffea arabica, which showed a relaxant effect of
0.22mm in the presence of Ach and was not of statistical significance. Statistical analysis
indicated that the hydroalcholic crude extracts of Coffea arabica and Thymus schimperi showed
significant differences in tissue contraction between the 50μg dose and 100 μg, 200 μg, 400 μg
group and between the 50μg dose the two dose groups of 150 μg and 200 μg respectively (Pvalue
_ 0.05).
CONCLUSION: The hydroalcholic (Methanol 80%) crude extracts of both Coffea arabica L. and
Thymus schimperi R. showed a contractile response on the guinea pig trachea rings in vitro which
was statistically significant between the dose groups in the presence of Ach. The results yielded
are not in full agreement to the traditional claim of a relaxant effect on the airways.
Key words: Coffee;Thyme; Smooth Muscle; Guinea Pig Trachea Rings
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Keywords
Coffee;Thyme; Smooth Muscle; Guinea Pig Trachea Rings