Phytomedicine. 2000 Oct; 7(5): 423-6.

Hypotensive action of coumarin glycosides from Daucus carota.

Gilani AH, Shaheen E, Saeed SA, Bibi S, Irfanullah , Sadiq M, Faizi S.

Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, The Aga Khan University Medical College, Karachi, Pakistan. anwar.gilani@aku.edu

Daucus carota (carrot) has been used in traditional medicine to treat hypertension. Activity-directed fractionation of aerial parts of D. carota resulted in the isolation of two cumarin glycosides coded as DC-2 and DC-3. Intravenous administration of these compounds caused a dose-dependent (1-10 mg/kg) fall in arterial blood pressure in normotensive anaesthetised rats. In the in vitro studies, both compounds caused a dose-dependent (10-200 microg/ml) inhibitory effect on spontaneously beating guinea pig atria as well as on the K+ -induced contractions of rabbit aorta at similar concentrations. These results indicate that DC-2 and DC-3 may be acting through blockade of calcium channels and this effect may be responsible for the blood pressure lowering effect of the compounds observed in the in vivo studies.