Research Article
Xiang-Dong Han, Guo-Wen Li, Li
Abstract
Due to the increasing usage of herbal medicines and natural products for the body function management and ailments treatment and the lack of study on the beneficial effect of Herba Swertiae, a widely used traditional herbal medicine, this paper aimed to investigate the effect of Herba Swertiae on gastrointestinal system in vivo. The effect of Herba Swertiae on gastric emptying and intestinal propulsion was examined in mice; the effect of Herba Swertiae on gastric acid secretion and pepsin activity was tested in rats; and the effect of Herba Swertiae on the mobility of ileum was evaluated by ex vivo experiments using isolated ileum from guinea pig. The results showed that Herba Swertiae markedly enhanced gastric emptying and intestinal propulsion in mice. Also, Herba Swertiae remarkably increased the gastric acid secretion, the acidity of gastric acid, and the activity of pepsin in rats. Of note, these effects were comparable to that of positive control. Moreover, Herba Swertiae exerted a potent promoting effect on the mobility of ileum of guinea pigs, with a marked increase in the muscular tension force and contraction amplitude in the isolated ileum. Moreover, Herba Swertiae excited the isolated ileum that was inhibited by atropine. Taken together, Herba Swertiae exerts markable beneficial effects on gastrointestinal system in vivo. More studies are warranted for the investigation of the underlying mechanisms for its beneficial effects.