STUDIES ON THE ANTIASTHMATIC ACTION OF LIGUSTILIDE OF DANG-GUI, ANGELICA SINENSIS (OLIV.) DIELS

A component, ligustilide, was isolated from the essential oil of Danggui (Angelica sinensis Oliv. Diels) cultivated in Min Xian County, Gansu Province, and accounted for 0.5% of the weight of the original herb. It was shown to have remarkable antiasthmatie effect and spasmolytie action by a series of experiments. When injected into guinea pigs intraperitoneally at a dose of 0.14ml/kg, the asthmatic reaction induced by acetylcholine and histamine was immediately impeded with a potency approximately equal to the action of aminophylline (50mg/kg). Lung overflow experiment showed that an intravenous injection of ligustilide (0.08 ml/kg) into the anesthetic guinea pig caused complete or partial block of the reaction of histamine at the dose of 2～10μg/kg. Ligustilide also exhibited antispasmodic effect on isolated trachea strip of the guinea pig contracted by acetylcholine, histamine and barium chloride, and a relaxation effect on trachea strip under normal tension. Addition of propranolol did not affect those actions. The contents of cAMP and cGMP in the pulmonary and intestinal tissues of the guinea pig were not altered by treatment with ligustilide.