Cardiovascular responses in the normotensive rat produced by intravenous injection of gambirine isolated from Uncaria callophylla B1. ex Korth

Among several alkaloids, including dimeric indoles, isolated from Uncaria callophylla, gambirine which is an alkaloid unique to this plant, has been found to be another hypotensive principle from the plant. Intravenous injections of gambirine in the dose range of 0.2 to 10.0 mg/kg caused a dose-related fall in both systolic and diastolic blood pressures as well as heart rate. At all doses gambirine showed a prompt onset of action and at the higher doses (5.0-10 mg/kg), marked persistence of hypotension accompanied by severe bradycardia were observed. In addition, higher doses of gambirine produced a more marked decrease in diastolic than systolic pressure while at lower doses both decreased equally. It is suggested that the hypotensive effect of gambirine may be peripheral in origin and is associated, at least in part, with a cardiac action.