Polygonum acre HBK, a perennial plant in damp and humid places, very abundant in Brazil, is used in folk medicine as anti-hemorrhagic and expectorant. The authors aimed to study the crude aqueous extract of the leaves of the vegetable to 20% on the smooth muscle, using uterus of rats in estrus (stilbestrol) and to correlate this done with the chemical composition of the vegetable.
To clarify the effect on smooth muscle contractility, we used 38 uterus isolated from rats in a Magnus water bath, using a force transducer coupled to the physiograph (Harvard brand, USA). Experiments were performed on uterine preparations according to the technique described above. The concentrations tested by addition to the bath, selected in pilot experiments, were 0.5; 1.0; 2.0 ml (0.2 g / ml) crude aqueous Polygonum HBK extract and adrenaline was used a dose of 3X10 -6M or lg. The addition of said extract produces a contraction of the uterine musculature, but this is not significant in comparison with the action of adrenaline. Regarding the frequency, the number of contractions was also not significant. We know that the vegetable has flavonoids that could be responsible for the constricting effect on the smooth muscle, through a right or indirect action. In the experimental conditions used, we concluded that, in relation to this plant, the action should not be direct.
