Vasoconstrictor effect of Cissus sicyoides on guinea-pig aortic rings

1. The effect of the aqueous extract of Cissus sicyoides (CS) on isolated guinea pig aortic rings was studied. CS contracts the smooth muscle of the aorta in a dose-response relation. 2. The extract of CS increases the norepinephrine contraction in normal calcium and in solutions without calcium. 3. Lanthanum inhibits the contraction induced by CS. 4. The vasoconstrictor effect of CS was increased in solutions without calcium or with low calcium, which is an inverse calcium-dependent contraction. 5. Prolonged exposure to calcium-free solution did not abolish CS contraction. These contractions can be elicited repeatedly even after 6 hr of continuous exposure to calcium-free solutions. 6. Caffeine reduces contractile response induced by CS in normal calcium, as well as in solutions without calcium. 7. Our results support the idea that the aqueous extract of CS acts at the membrane level, increasing the calcium entry through the membrane as well as acting on the internal calcium deposits, possibly on the sarcoplasmic reticulum.