Effect of Rosa damascena Mill. flower extract on rat ileum

Rosa damascena flower is widely used for gastrointestinal (GI) disorders. However, its pharmacological action on isolated ileum has not been studied. In this research, the effect of extract of flower petals of R. damascena Mill. growing in Kashan, Iran, on ileum motility was investigated. Hydroalcoholic extract was prepared by percolation method. A section of rat ileum was suspended in an organ bath containing Tyrode's solution. The tissue was stimulated with electrical field stimulation (EFS), KCl and acetylcholine (ACh). The tissue was kept under 1g tension at 37°C and continuously gassed with O2. Effect of the R. damascena extract was studied on ileum contractions induced by EFS, KCl and ACh and compared with that of atropine. R. damascena extract (10-100 mg/ml) induced a contraction in rat isolated ileum while at 1mg bath concentration it had relaxant effect on rat ileum. Hydroalcoholic extract of R. damascena (1-8 mg/ml) concentration dependently inhibited ileum contraction induced by KCl (IC50=3.3 ± 0.9 mg/ml), ACh (IC50=1.4 ± 0.1 mg/ml) and EFS (IC50=1.5 ± 0.3 mg/ml). The vehicle had no significant effect on ileum contractions. From this experiment it was concluded that R. damascena extract at microgram concentrations had stimulatory effect on ileum smooth muscle. However, at milligram concentrations, it shows an inhibitory effect. This is most likely due to presence of different components in the extract. The stimulatory effect of the extract confirms its benefits for the treatment of constipation. Therefore, separation and identification of active components is recommended.