ABSTRACT
Nutmeg (Myristica fragrans Houtt.) belongs to the Myristicaceae family. The seeds are ground and used as spices traditionally for peppersoup and other foods. M. fragrans constituents were reported to have aphrodisiac, anti-inflammatory, anodyne, antipyretic, anthelmintic, digestive, antispasmodic, stomachic, diuretic, expectorant, emmenagogue, febrifuge, narcotic properties. There is however limited scientific knowledge on its effect on the uterus. This study aimed at investigating the effect of dichloromethane fraction of ethanol extract of myristica fragrans (DCMF) on spontaneous and agonist-induced contractions of isolated non-pregnant mice uterine tissues.
DCMF was examined on uterine tissues isolated from healthy non-pregnant albino mice. This investigation was carried out using a range of DCMF concentrations (0.003 - 0.7 mg/ml) to assess its activity on spontaneous contractions, oxytocin-induced contractions, high KCl-induced contractions, as well as oxytocin-induced contractions in a calcium-free medium.
The study result presented that DCMF exerted inhibitory effects on spontaneous and agonist-induced uterine contractions in a dose dependent manner. DCMF showed significant inhibition to the contractions elicited by oxytocin, high KCl and oxytocin-induced contractions in a zero-calcium medium.
This study has shown that DCMF has relaxant effect on non-pregnant uterine contractions and also interferes with calcium-dependent mechanisms of action in the uterus. Thus, suggesting that this compound warrants further investigation as a potentially new or complementary tocolytic drug therapy, via studying its effects on pathways other than calcium antagonism, for managing conditions requiring uterine contractility inhibition, such as in dysmenorrhea and preterm labour.
