The use of isolated functional heart to pharmacologically characterize active ingredients in the aqueous extracts of Mareya micrantha

Aqueous extracts of Mareya micrantha are used as folk medicine in West Africa. However, no systemic investigation directed to the identification of the active ingredients in M. micrantha has been done. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of M. micrantha on the cardiac contractility of the isolated frog heart. Also, two sequential fractions from M. micrantha were separated and their effects on cardiac contractility investigated. M. micrantha concentration-dependently suppressed cardiac contractility. Separation of the cardioactive components in series by column chromatography (Sephadex G-50, Column 2.5 × 30 cm and 1 × 20 cm) produced two fractions which facilitated a leftward shift of the dose-response curve of the cardiodepressant effects suggesting that column chromatograph is effective in the isolation of the cardioactive ingredients in M. micrantha. The data suggest that M. micrantha contains cardioactive components and that contractions of the isolated functional frog heart can be used as a pharmacological activity marker during the process of isolation of cardioactive ingredients in M. micrantha.