Uterine contractilityofplantsusedtofacilitatechildbirthin Nigerian ethnomedicine
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Date
2012-07-03
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Journal of Ethnopharmacology
Abstract
Ethnopharmacological relevance: Pregnant women in Nigeria use plant preparations to facilitate childbirth and to reduce associated pain. The rationale for this is not known and requires pharmacological
validation.
Aim of study: Obtain primary information regarding the traditional use of plants and analyze their
uterine contractility at cellular level.
Materials and methods: Semi-structured, open interviews using questionnaires of traditional healthcare
professionals and other informants triggered the collection and identification of medicinal plant
species. The relative traditional importance of each medicinal plant was determined by its use-mention
index. Extracts of these plants were analyzed for their uterotonic properties on an in vitro human
uterine cell collagen model.
Result: The plants Calotropis procera, Commelina africana, Duranta repens, Hyptis suaveolens, Ocimum
gratissimum, Saba comorensis, Sclerocarya birrea, Sida corymbosa and Vernonia amygdalina were
documented and characterized. Aqueous extracts from these nine plants induced significant sustained
increases in human myometrial smooth muscle cell contractility, with varying efficiencies, depending
upon time and dose of exposure.
Conclusion: The folkloric use of several plant species during childbirth in Nigeria has been validated.
Seven plants were for the first time characterized to have contractile properties on uterine myometrial
cells. The results serve as ideal starting points in the search for safe, longer lasting, effective and
tolerable uterotonic drug leads.
Description
Keywords
Hyptis suaveolens, Sclerocarya birrea