Chinae Rhizoma is dried crude roots and rhizomes obtained from Smilax china Linne which belongs to Smilax Genus of Liliaceae Familia, and it has been in wife use as a folk remedy for a long time. But very little systemic studies on its pharmacological actions have been made until now. Furthermore, the effective components except saponin of Chinae Rhizoma have been not known yet. It came to the attention of the authors that Chinae Rhizoma are used as antidiarrhetics in Chinese herb medicine, therefore they attempted to observe the effects of Chinae Rhizoma Alcoholic Extracts (Chinae Rhizoma Ethanol Extract=CREE, Chinae Rhizoma Methanol Extract=CRME) from Smilax china Linne on motility of the isolated rabbit duodenum in this experiment. The results of the study were as follow: 1. The movement of the isolated rabbit duodenum was slowed down and its tonus was relaxed in proportion to the concentration of Chinae Rhizoma Alcoholic Extracts (CREE & CRME). 2. With a concentration of CREE 10-4g/ml, the contractile effects of acetylcholine 10-6g/ml, pilocarpine 10-5g/ml and physostigmine 10-5g/ml were remarkably blocked in the movement of isolated rabbit duodenum. 3. The concentration of the isolated rabbit duodenum induced by barium chloride 10-4g/ml was significantly inhibited by CREE 10-4g/ml. 4. With the administrations of histamine 10-5g/ml, serotonin 10-6g/ml and prostaglandin A2 10-6g/ml respectively, contractions were observed in the rabbit duodenum. But, treatment of CREE 10-4g/ml inhibited markedly the tonus and motility of the duodenum pretreated with the above drugs. 5. The effects of CREE and CRME were very much alike in this experiment. From the above results, it is concluded that the mechanism of action of Chinae Rhizoma on motility of isolated rabbit duodenum was partially due to cholinergic blocking effect.
