<i>Chamaecyparis lawsoniana</i> and Its Active Compound Quercetin as Ca<sup>2+</sup> Inhibitors in the Contraction of Airway Smooth Muscle
Edgar Flores-Soto,
Bianca S. Romero-Martínez,
Héctor Solís-Chagoyán,
Edgar A. Estrella-Parra,
Jose G. Avila-Acevedo,
Juan C. Gomez-Verjan,
Jorge Reyes-García,
María F. Casas-Hernández,
Bettina Sommer,
Luis M. Montaño
Affiliations
Edgar Flores-Soto
Departamento de Farmacología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Avenida Universidad No. 3000, Alcaldía de Coyoacán, C.P., Mexico City 04510, Mexico
Bianca S. Romero-Martínez
Departamento de Farmacología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Avenida Universidad No. 3000, Alcaldía de Coyoacán, C.P., Mexico City 04510, Mexico
Héctor Solís-Chagoyán
Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Cognitivas, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos, Avenida Universidad 1001, Col. Chamilpa, C.P., Cuernavaca 62209, Mexico
Edgar A. Estrella-Parra
Laboratorio de Fitoquímica, Unidad de Biología Tecnología y Prototipos, FES-Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Avenida de los Barrios No. 1, Los Reyes Iztacala, C.P., Tlalnepantla 54090, Mexico
Jose G. Avila-Acevedo
Laboratorio de Fitoquímica, Unidad de Biología Tecnología y Prototipos, FES-Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Avenida de los Barrios No. 1, Los Reyes Iztacala, C.P., Tlalnepantla 54090, Mexico
Juan C. Gomez-Verjan
Dirección de Investigación, Instituto Nacional de Geriatría (INGER), Anillo Periférico. 2767, San Jerónimo Lídice, La Magdalena, C.P., Mexico City 10200, Mexico
Jorge Reyes-García
Departamento de Farmacología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Avenida Universidad No. 3000, Alcaldía de Coyoacán, C.P., Mexico City 04510, Mexico
María F. Casas-Hernández
Departamento de Farmacología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Avenida Universidad No. 3000, Alcaldía de Coyoacán, C.P., Mexico City 04510, Mexico
Bettina Sommer
Departamento de Investigación en Hiperreactividad Bronquial, Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Respiratorias “Ismael Cosio Villegas”, Calz. De Tlalpan 4502, Col. Sección XVI, Alcaldía de Tlalpan, C.P., Mexico City 14080, Mexico
Luis M. Montaño
Departamento de Farmacología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Avenida Universidad No. 3000, Alcaldía de Coyoacán, C.P., Mexico City 04510, Mexico
The Cupressaceae family includes species considered to be medicinal. Their essential oil is used for headaches, colds, cough, and bronchitis. Cedar trees like Chamaecyparis lawsoniana (C. lawsoniana) are commonly found in urban areas. We investigated whether C. lawsoniana exerts some of its effects by modifying airway smooth muscle (ASM) contractility. The leaves of C. lawsoniana (363 g) were pulverized mechanically, and extracts were obtained by successive maceration 1:10 (w:w) with methanol/CHCl3. Guinea pig tracheal rings were contracted with KCl, tetraethylammonium (TEA), histamine (HIS), or carbachol (Cch) in organ baths. In the Cch experiments, tissues were pre-incubated with D-600, an antagonist of L-type voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels (L-VDCC) before the addition of C. lawsoniana. Interestingly, at different concentrations, C. lawsoniana diminished the tracheal contractions induced by KCl, TEA, HIS, and Cch. In ASM cells, C. lawsoniana significantly diminished L-type Ca2+ currents. ASM cells stimulated with Cch produced a transient Ca2+ peak followed by a sustained plateau maintained by L-VDCC and store-operated Ca2+ channels (SOCC). C. lawsoniana almost abolished this last response. These results show that C. lawsoniana, and its active metabolite quercetin, relax the ASM by inhibiting the L-VDCC and SOCC; further studies must be performed to obtain the complete set of metabolites of the extract and study at length their pharmacological properties.
