{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,28]],"date-time":"2026-07-28T18:01:10Z","timestamp":1785261670974,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":55,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,30]],"date-time":"2025-06-30T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1751241600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Pharmacol."],"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title>Background<\/jats:title><jats:p>Cymbopogon is used in traditional medicine in tropical and subtropical regions to treat various ailments. However, no research has yet provided a detailed pharmacodynamic explanation for its antidiarrheal and antispasmodic effects. This study aimed to evaluate the antidiarrheal and antispasmodic properties of the essential oil of <jats:italic>Cymbopogon proximus<\/jats:italic> (EOCP), with the goal of scientifically validating its traditional use in folk medicine.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title><jats:p>An animal study of antidiarrheal activity was carried out using a castor oil-induced diarrhea model in rats, and the isolated small intestine of rats was used to investigate the specific mechanisms of the antispasmodic effects.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results<\/jats:title><jats:p>The EOCP, exhibited a protective effect against castor oil-induced diarrhea in rats at 100 and 200\u00a0mg\/kg, similar to the standard drug, dicyclomine. In rat ileum preparations, EOCP decreased the basal tonus with a maximal response of (R<jats:sub>max<\/jats:sub>; % of ACh.-contraction) of 18.5% \u00b1 1.5% compared with 17.5% \u00b1 2.5% achieved with dicyclomine. In contractions elicited by different agents, EOCP showed higher potency in relaxing carbachol (CCh)-induced contractions compared to those induced by high K<jats:sup>+<\/jats:sup> concentrations. It showed a similar relaxation profile to dicyclomine but differed from the inhibitory effects of verapamil and\/or atropine. Pre-incubation of isolated ileum with increasing doses of EOCP showed that at a lower concentration (0.03\u00a0mg\/mL), EOCP induced a rightward parallel shift in carbachol (CCh) concentration-response curves. At a higher concentration (0.1\u00a0mg\/mL), it caused a non-parallel shift with a reduction in the maximum response, similar to the effects of dicyclomine, a dual inhibitor of muscarinic receptors and Ca<jats:sup>++<\/jats:sup> channels. The Ca<jats:sup>++<\/jats:sup> channel inhibitory effect of EOCP was confirmed by its rightward shift of Ca<jats:sup>++<\/jats:sup> concentration-response curves and suppression of the maximal response, resembling the effects of verapamil, a well-established Ca<jats:sup>++<\/jats:sup> antagonist.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title><jats:p>These results suggest that EOCP produces antidiarrheal and antispasmodic effects, possibly mediated via direct effect on intestinal smooth musclesf followed by dual inhibition of muscarinic receptors and Ca<jats:sup>++<\/jats:sup> channels, thus providing a pharmacological basis for its traditional use in hyperactive gut disorders such as diarrhea and spasms.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fphar.2025.1533511","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,30]],"date-time":"2025-06-30T04:10:17Z","timestamp":1751256617000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":4,"title":["Pharmacological basis for medicinal use of Cymbopogon proximus Hochst. ex A. Rich. Essential oil in hyperactive gastrointestinal disorders"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"16","author":[{"given":"Hassan N.","family":"Althurwi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Najeeb Ur","family":"Rehman","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Maged S.","family":"Abdel-Kader","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Faisal F.","family":"Albaqami","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,30]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"209","DOI":"10.1055\/s-0028-1099848","article-title":"Constituents of local plants. XIV. 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