초록
Pericarpium Citri Nobilis Viride, a traditional herb medicine, has been used in Korea and China for many centuries as a treatment for respiratory disease. The purpose of the present study was to determine the effect of Pericarpium Citri Nobilis Viride on histamine-induced tracheal smooth muscle contraction in rats. Guinea pigs(500g , female) were killed by $CO_2$ exposure and a segment (8-10mm) of the thoracic trachea from each guinea pig was cut into equal segments and mounted 'in pairs' in a tissue bath. Contractile force was measured with force displacement transducers under 0.5g loading tension. The dose of histamine which evoked 50% of maximal response $(ED_{50})$ was obtained from cumulative dose response curves for histamine $(10^{-7}-10^{-4}M)$. Contractions evoked by histamine ($ED_{50}$) were inhibited significantly by Pericarpium Citri Nobilis Viride. The mean percent inhibition was 53.7% (P<0.05) after 1.5mg/ml Pericarpium Citri Nobilis Viride, and 87.7% (P<0.01) after 5.0mg/ml Pericarpium Citri Nobilis Viride. Propranolol $(10^{-7}M)$ slightly but significantly attenuated the inhibitory effects of Pericarpium Citri Nobilis Viride. Following treatment with propranolol the mean present inhibition caused by 1.5 and 5.0mg/ml Pericarpium Citri Nobilis Viride. Indomethacin and methylene blue $(10^{-7}M)$ did not significantly alter the inhibitory effect of Pericarpium Citri Nobilis Viride These results indicate that Pericarpium Citri Nobilis Viride can relax histamine-induced contraction of guinea pig tracheal smooth muscle, and that this inhibition involves in part symphathetic nerve system.