Investigation of the vasodilatory, tocolytic and spasmolytic effects of rutin on Wistar rats tissues

Rutin is a phenolic compound belonging to the class of citrus flavonoids. This compound can be found in abundantly in buckwheat and other widely consumed foods such as onions, red beans, apples, tomatoes, and others. Some studies attribute the following activities to rutin: inhibitor of endothelial dysfunction, antioxidant, and cardioprotective. However, its relaxing activity on smooth muscles of rat tissues remain poorly studied. Therefore, this study investigated the vasodilatory, tocolytic, and spasmolytic effects of rutin in aorta, uterus, and ileum of rats using different contractile agonists. The experiments were carried out using the organ bath technique, in which the organs were placed in glass chambers with 10 mL of Tyrode’s solution for 1 h (stabilization). After this period, contractions in the aortic ring, myometrial and intestinal preparations were evoked using KCl (60 mM) for the electromechanical contractile stimulus, or different agonists (PHE 0.1 μM, OT 10⁻² IU/mL and CCh 10⁻⁶ M) for the pharmacomechanical stimulus. Then, increasing and cumulative concentrations of rutin (0.03 – 7.0 mM) were administered in the experimental preparations. In this study, it was observed that rutin has a peculiar pharmacological potential depending on the organ and the contractile agents evaluated. Therefore, future perspectives include the evaluation of the myorelaxant effect of rutin from other contractile agents in the aorta, uterus, and ileum, as well as more in-depth studies of the mechanisms for a better understanding of the pharmacological action of rutin in these organs.