Phytother Res. 1999 Dec; 13(8): 645-8.

Vascular effects of aqueous crude extracts of Artemisia verlotorum Lamotte (Compositae): in vivo and in vitro pharmacological studies in rats.

Calderone V, Martinotti E, Baragatti B, Breschi MC, Morelli I.

Dipartimento di Psichiatria, Neurobiologia, Farmacologia e Biotecnologie, UniversitÃ di Pisa, via Bonanno 6 - 56126 Pisa, Italy.

Artemisia verlotorum Lamotte (Compositae), growing in almost all the northern hemisphere, is used in folk medicine of some countries of Tuscany, Italy, as a remedy for hypertension. The pharmacological evaluation of the responses evoked by an aqueous dried extract of Artemisia verlotorum on the blood pressure of anaesthetized rats and on in vitro rat isolated aortae showed a marked, but transient, hypotensive activity. This effect was mediated by a strong vasodilator action, closely linked to the release of endothelial nitric oxide and to the nitric oxide-guanosine 3'-5'-cyclic monophosphate (cGMP) pathway, caused by a muscarinic receptor agonism.Copyright 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.