{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,8]],"date-time":"2026-01-08T11:16:55Z","timestamp":1767871015728,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":48,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,8]],"date-time":"2026-01-08T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1767830400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100019725","name":"Deanship of Scientific Research, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["PSAU\/2024\/03\/31697"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["PSAU\/2024\/03\/31697"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100019725","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Pharmacol."],"abstract":"\n Background<\/jats:title>\n \n T. serrulatus<\/jats:italic>\n is used in folk medicine for the treatment of cardiovascular disorders, including hypertension. This study investigates its hypotensive, cardiac-depressant, and vasodilatory activities.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Methods<\/jats:title>\n \n The hypotensive effect of\n Thymus serrulatus<\/jats:italic>\n essential oil was evaluated\n in vivo<\/jats:italic>\n in anesthetized rats by measuring changes in mean arterial blood pressure following intravenous administration.\n Ex vivo<\/jats:italic>\n , cardiac-depressant activity was assessed in isolated guinea-pig atrial preparations, and vasodilatory effects were examined in rat aortic rings.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Results<\/jats:title>\n \n Intravenous administration of\n T. serrulatus<\/jats:italic>\n essential oil produced a dose-dependent (1\u201310\u00a0mg\/kg) reduction in arterial blood pressure. In spontaneously beating guinea-pig atrial tissues, the oil exerted negative chronotropic and inotropic effects at concentrations of 0.1\u20135\u00a0mg\/mL. In rat aorta, it caused complete relaxation of phenylephrine (PE, 1\u00a0\u03bcM)-induced contractions, with an EC\n 50<\/jats:sub>\n of 1.27\u00a0mg\/mL, while partial relaxation (59% \u00b1 3%) was observed against high K\n +<\/jats:sup>\n (80\u00a0mM). The vasodilatory effect against PE was not significantly altered by endothelium removal or atropine pretreatment, indicating an endothelium- and muscarinic-independent mechanism. Preincubation with a lower concentration (0.1\u00a0mg\/mL) produced a rightward shift in PE-mediated concentration\u2013response curves (CRCs) without reducing maximal response, similar to prazosin-like competitive antagonism. A higher concentration (0.3\u00a0mg\/mL) suppressed the maximal PE response, consistent with non-competitive antagonism comparable to verapamil. In Ca\n ++<\/jats:sup>\n -free medium, preincubation with\n T. serrulatus<\/jats:italic>\n (0.3 and 1\u00a0mg\/mL) shifted Ca\n 2+<\/jats:sup>\n CRCs to the right with reduced maximal response, further supporting Ca\n ++<\/jats:sup>\n channel\u2013blocking activity.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n \n T. serrulatus<\/jats:italic>\n essential oil exhibits hypotensive, cardiac-depressant, and vasodilatory effects, likely mediated through \u03b1-adrenergic antagonism and Ca\n ++<\/jats:sup>\n channel blockade. These findings provide pharmacological support for its traditional use in cardiovascular disorders, including hypertension.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fphar.2025.1719712","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,8]],"date-time":"2026-01-08T06:37:55Z","timestamp":1767854275000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Pharmacological evidences for the blood pressure lowering and cardiovascular inhibitory actions of the essential oil of Thymus serrulatus hochst. 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