Basal and Spasmolytic Effects of a Hydroethanolic Leaf Extract of Melissa officinalis L. on Intestinal Motility: An Ex Vivo Study

Melissa officinalis L. (lemon balm) has been used for decades with symptomatic benefits in patients with digestive disorders. However, very little is known on the effects of M. officinalis on the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. In this study, the basal and spasmolytic properties of a hydroethanolic leaf extract (HLE) of M. officinalis were assessed ex vivo on different segments of the GI tract of mice after phytochemical characterization of the extract. M. officinalis HLE had site- and dose-dependent effects on the contractile activity of the GI tract, the motility response being impacted in the jejunum and ileum but not in the antrum and colon. The observed effects could be caused by the phenolic compounds (mainly rosmarinic acid) detected in the extract.

• Publication year

  2019

• Venue

  Journal of Medicinal Food

• Publication date

  2019-07-01

• Fields of study

  Biology, Medicine, Environmental Science

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.1089/jmf.2018.0154PMID 30990736PMCID 6653806
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar, PubMed

• No claims are published for this paper.

• No concepts are published for this paper.

• Citrate

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