Investigation of Anti-Asthmatic effects of Syzyzium Cumini Flesh of the Fruit on Guinea Pig Tracheal chains and its Possible Mechanism(s)

ABSTRACT

Syzygium cumini (Family Myrtaceae) is also known as Syzygium jambolanum and Eugenia cumini. Other com-mon names are Jambul, Black Plum, Java Plum, Indian Blackberry, Jamblang, Jamun etc. Today these trees are found growing throughout the Asian subcontinent, East-ern Africa, South America, Madagascar and have also naturalized to Florida and Hawaii in the United States of America ^[1]. The tree fruits once in a year and the berries are sweetish sour to taste. The ripe fruits are used for health drinks, making preserves, squashes, jellies and wine ^[1]. In association to itsdietary use, all parts of the tree and, importantly the seeds are used to treat a range of ailments, the most important being diabetes mellitus ^[2]. Different parts of the jambolan were also reported for its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, neuropsycho-phar- macological, anti-microbial, anti-bacterial, anti-HIV, an-tileishmanial and antifugal, nitric oxide scavenging, free radical scavenging, anti-diarrheal, antifertility, anorex-igenic, gastroprotective and anti-ulcerogenic and redio-protective activities ^[2]. The purpose of this study was investigating experimentally the possible anti asthma activity of macerated and soxhlet extracts of fruits of this plant on tracheal chains of guinea pigs were evaluated. The relaxant effects of 4 cumulative concentrations of macerated and soxhlet extracts (0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1.0and 1.25 W/V) in comparison with saline as negative control and 4 cumulative concentrations of theophylline (0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1.0 and 1.25 mM) as positive control were examined on precontracted tracheal chains of two groups of 6 guinea pig by 60 mM KCl (group 1, N=6) and 10 µM methacholine the non-incubated tissues (group 2, N = 6) and tissues incubated  with 1 µM propranolol (group  3, N = 4) ^[18]. Decrease in contractile tone of tracheal chains was considered as relaxant effect. The isolated guinea-pig trachea pre-contracted with KCl, methacholine and tissues incubated with propranolol were used to study the relaxation of macerated and soxhlet extracts of fruits Syzygium cumini. In group 1 experiments only the last two higher concentrations of theophylline and soxhlet extract showed significant relaxant effect compared to that of saline (p<0.001 for both concentrations), which were significantly greater than those of macerated extracts (p<0.001 for all cases). In group 2 experiments only the last two higher concentrations of theophylline and soxhlet extract showed significant relaxant effect compared to that of saline. The effects of one  higher concentrations of theophylline in this group were significantly greater than those of macerated and soxhlet extracts (P < 0.01). And in group 2 and 3 experiments both macerated and soxhlet extracts showed concentration-dependent relaxant effects compared to that of saline (p<0.05 to p<0.001 for both extracts).The relaxant effects of macerated and soxhlet extracts in group 1 were significantly lower than those of groups 2 and 3.In group 3 experiment potent relaxant effect was observed.

Keywords: Syzygium cumini, Bronchodilatory, Guinea pig. Trachea.