DOI: 10.5176/2382-607X_ARP14.08
Authors: Phil V. Morano and Elena S. Catap
Abstract: Sphagneticola trilobata is identified to contain compounds that have cardiovascular effects like kaurenoic acid which is a known vasorelaxant, and cardiac glycosides that confers cardiac stimulant properties. Crude extracts were prepared from air-dried leaves, stems and flowers of the plant and various doses (1, 10 and 100mg/kg) were tested for their effects in the electrocardiogram profiles of toads. Results revealed that the crude extracts from the stem significantly elevated the P wave amplitude while treatments with flower and leaf extracts significantly increased the R wave amplitude. These suggest that the former have effects on atrial depolarization while the latter on ventricular depolarization. However, measurements of P-R interval and QRS complex duration did not present significant differences among treatments indicating that the increase in the P amplitude by the stem extracts and in the R amplitude by the flower and leaf extracts did not result in delayed depolarization events. Prolonged R-R interval and reduced heart rate were observed in treatments using the extracts in a dose-dependent manner. Interestingly, low and medium doses of the stem and leaf extracts produced a significant increase in the heart rate-corrected Q-T interval, an effect not observed in the treatments using flower extracts. Since this is a preliminary report, it is expected that further investigations will be done using mammalian models.
Keywords: Electrocardiogram profile, depolarization, repolarization, amplitude
Updating...