Tocolytic activity of the hydroalcoholic extract of Peperomia galioides Kunth (congona) leaves in non-pregnant rat uteri

Withney  Quinto-Aylas; Luz Poma-Aquino; Daisy Flores-Cortez; Eduardo Villalobos-Pacheco; Cecilia Ignacio-Punin

doi:10.17843/rpmesp.2026.431.15504

Authors

Withney Quinto-Aylas Laboratorio de Farmacología, Facultad de Medicina Humana, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima, Perú. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9367-8563
Luz Poma-Aquino Laboratorio de Farmacología, Facultad de Medicina Humana, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima, Perú. https://orcid.org/0009-0004-0743-1003
Daisy Flores-Cortez Laboratorio de Farmacología, Facultad de Medicina Humana, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima, Perú. Research Group in Basic and Clinical Pharmacology of Drugs and Natural Products (FARMANAT), Lima, Perú. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3207-4293
Eduardo Villalobos-Pacheco Laboratorio de Farmacología, Facultad de Medicina Humana, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima, Perú. Research Group in Basic and Clinical Pharmacology of Drugs and Natural Products (FARMANAT), Lima, Perú. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8496-3634
Cecilia Ignacio-Punin Laboratorio de Farmacología, Facultad de Medicina Humana, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima, Perú. Research Group in Basic and Clinical Pharmacology of Drugs and Natural Products (FARMANAT), Lima, Perú. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5131-1632

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17843/rpmesp.2026.431.15504

Keywords:

Plant Extracts, Peperomia, Uterine Contraction, Tocolytic Agents

Abstract

Objective. To evaluate the effect of the hydroalcoholic extract of Peperomia galioides Kunth (congona) leaves on uterine contractility in an isolated non-pregnant rat uterus model. Materials and methods. An in vitro experimental study was conducted with 15 female rats pretreated with estrogen 48 hours prior to the experiment. Uterine horns were sectioned into 10 mm segments and mounted in an isolated organ bath under a basal tension of 1 g. The tissue was stimulated with oxytocin (10-⁶ M) and subsequently exposed to the hydroalcoholic extract of P. galioides (0.1%, 1%, and 10%) and the control. The frequency, duration, and intensity of uterine contractions were evaluated, and the percentage of inhibition was calculated. Additionally, a preliminary phytochemical screening of the extract was performed. Results. All evaluated concentrations of P. galioides significantly reduced the frequency of oxytocin-induced uterine contractions compared to basal values and the control group (p < 0.001). Regarding intensity and duration, only the 1% and 10% concentrations produced a significant decrease relative to basal values (p < 0.05). However, only the 10% extract significantly inhibited intensity and duration compared to the control group. Phytochemical analysis revealed a high content of phenolic compounds and flavonoids. Conclusion. The hydroalcoholic extract of P. galioides Kunth leaves exerts an inhibitory effect on uterine contractility in the isolated rat uterus, supporting its potential tocolytic action.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Ochoa A, Pérez J. Amenaza de parto prematuro: Rotura prematura de membranas. Corioamnionitis. Anales Sis San Navarra [Internet]. 2009 [citado 10 de julio 2025];32(Supl.1):105–19. Disponible en: http://scielo.isciii.es/scielo.php%3Fscript=sci_arttext&pid=S1137-66272009000200011&lng=es.

ACOG. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists practice bulletin no. 127: Management of preterm labor. Obstet Gynecol. 2012;119(6):1308–17. doi: 10.1097/AOG.0b013e31825af2f0.

Guevara-Ríos E. La prematuridad: Un problema de salud pública. Rev Peru Investig Matern Perinat. 2023;12(1):7–8. doi: 10.33421/inmp.2023334.

Perin J. Global, regional, and national causes of under-5 mortality in 2000-19: an updated systematic analysis with implications for the Sustainable Development Goals. Lancet Child Adolesc Health. 2022;6(2):106–15. doi: 10.1016/S2352-4642(21)00311-4.

Ruoti M. Tocolíticos en la amenaza de parto prematuro. An Fac Cienc Méd (Asunción). 2020;53(3):115–30. doi: 10.18004/anales/2020.053.03.115.

Organización Mundial de la Salud. Estrategia de la OMS sobre medicina tradicional 2014 - 2023 [Internet]. Ginebra: OMS; 2013 [citado 10 de julio 2025]. Disponible en: https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/95008/9789243506098_spa.pdf.

Bafor EE, Prendergast C, Wray S. Justicia flava leaf extract potently relaxes pregnant human myometrial contractility: a lead plant for drug discovery of new tocolytic drugs. Exp Physiol. 2020;105(12):2033–7. doi: 10.1113/EP088819.

Monji F, Lau LC, Siddiquee AA-M, Said BB, Yang L-K, K Y, et al. Potent tocolytic activity of ethyl acetate fraction of Ananas comosus on rat and human uteri. Biomed Pharmacother. 2018;105:824–34. doi: 10.1016/j.biopha.2018.06.021.

Santos S, Haslinger C, Mennet M, von Mandach U, Hamburger M, Simões-Wüst AP. Bryophyllum pinnatum enhances the inhibitory effect of atosiban and nifedipine on human myometrial contractility: An in vitro study. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2019;19(1):292. doi: 10.1186/s12906-019-2711-5.

Alotaibi M. The effect of cinnamon extract on isolated rat uterine strips. Reprod Biol. 2016;16(1):27–33. doi: 10.1016/j.repbio.2015.12.001.

Alotaibi MF. Pimpinella anisum extract attenuates spontaneous and agonist-induced uterine contraction in term-pregnant rats. J Ethnopharmacol. 2020;254:112730. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2020.112730.

Rodriguez G. Uso y manejo de plantas medicinales en siete casos de partería urbana en Bogotá, Colombia. [Tesis Licenciatura]. Bogotá: Facultad de estudios ambientales y rurales, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana; 2020. Disponible en: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1n-9Ci2wbn-uui_ArJy7P5YJ23VazoU3n2/view.

Alves N, Setzer W, Da Silva J. The chemistry and biological activities of Peperomia pellucida (Piperaceae): A critical review. J Ethnopharmacol. 2019;232:90–102. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2018.12.021.

Organismo Andino de Salud–Convenio Hipólito Unanue (ORAS-CONHU). Plantas medicinales de la subregión andina [Internet]. 1 ed. Lima: ORAS-CONHU; 2014 [citado el 10 de julio de 2025]. Disponible en: https://www.orasconhu.org/sites/default/files/file/webfiles/doc/pub_plantas_medicinales.pdf.

Valarezo E, Herrera-García M, Astudillo-Dávila P, Rosales-Demera I, Jaramillo-Fierro X, Cartuche L, et al. Study of the Chemical Composition and Biological Activity of the Essential Oil from Congona (Peperomia inaequalifolia Ruiz and Pav.). Plants (Basel). 2023;12(7):1504. doi: 10.3390/plants12071504.

García Olarte N. Uso de plantas medicinales en el trabajo de parto en madres del Centro de Salud de Chilca - Huancayo [Título de Segunda Especialidad]. Junín: Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Peruana Los Andes; 2018. Disponible en: https://repositorio.upla.edu.pe/bitstream/handle/20.500.12848/595/TA03 7_40476593_S.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

Zaravia J. Complicaciones en el trabajo de parto por la ingesta de infusión oxitocica en gestantes del centro de salud de Huando de enero a junio, 2016 [Tesis Licenciatura]. Huancavelica: Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud. Universidad Nacional de Huancavelica; 2017. Disponible en: https://apirepositorio.unh.edu.pe/server/api/core/bitstreams/b452b780-3813-4e7e-a26b-5929fdbb7b9c/content.

Merecz-Sadowska A, Sitarek P, Śliwiński T, Zajdel R. Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Extracts and Pure Compounds Derived from Plants via Modulation of Signaling Pathways, Especially PI3K/AKT in Macrophages. Int J Mol Sci. 2020;21(24):9605. doi: 10.3390/ijms21249605.

Kartika I, Suryani S, Palupi D, Adnyana I. Stabilization Potential of Cell Membrane from Different Polarity Extract of Sirih Bumi (Peperomia pellucida [L.] Kunth) as Anti-inflammatory Agent. Indones J Pharm Sci. 2023;21(2):215–22. doi: 10.35814/jifi.v21i2.1440.

Yıldırım C, Macun HC. The Effect of Omentin on the Contractility of Rat Uterus. IJVAR [Internet]. 2022 [citado 10 de julio 2025];5(1):01–4. Disponible en: https://www.ijvar.org/index.php/ijvar/article/view/525

Balki M, Kanwal N, Erik-Soussi M, Kingdom J, Carvalho JCA. Contractile Efficacy of Various Prostaglandins in Pregnant Rat Myometrium Pretreated With Oxytocin. Reprod Sci. 2012;19(9):968–75. doi: 10.1177/1933719112438971.

Diaz D, Hernandez R, Cruz D, Villegas C. Análisis fitoquímico: Una visión integral de los métodos de extracción de productos naturales. Naturaleza y Tecnología [Internet]. 2023 [citado 10 de julio 2025];1(1):22–35. Disponible en: http://www.naturalezaytecnologia.com/index.php/nyt/issue/view/Enero-Abril%202023.

Close B, Banister K, Baumans V, Bernoth E-M, Bromage N, Bunyan J. Recomendaciones para la Eutanasia de los Animales de Experimentación. Lab Anim. 1997;31(1):1–32. doi: 10.1258/002367797780600297.

Fuentes Paredes F, Mendoza Yanavilca R, Rosales Fernández A, Cisneros Tarmeño R. Guía de manejo y cuidado de animales de laboratorio: ratón [Internet]. 1 ed. Instituto Nacional de Salud; 2008 [citado el 17 de enero de 2025]. Disponible en: https://repositorio.ins.gob.pe///handle/20.500.14196/117.

Percie du Sert N, Hurst V, Ahluwalia A, Alam S, Avey MT, Baker M, et al. The ARRIVE guidelines 2.0: Updated guidelines for reporting animal research. PLoS Biol. 2020;18(7):e3000410. doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000410.

Koutras A, Fasculakis Z, SyllaIios A, Garmpis N, Diakcosavas M, Pagkalos A, et al. Physiology and Pathology of Contractility of the Myometrium. In Vivo. 2021;35(3):1401–8. doi: 10.21873/invivo.12392.

Wray S, Prendergast C, Arrowsmith S. Calcium-Activated Chloride Channels in Myometrial and Vascular Smooth Muscle. Front Physiol. 2021;12:751008. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2021.751008.

Mora-Vivas FD, Velasco J, Díaz T, Rojas-Fermín L, Díaz de T L, Ríos-Tesch N, et al. Composición química y actividad antibacteriana del aceite esencial de Peperomia acuminata de los Andes venezolanos. Rev Peru Biol. 2016;23(3):301–4. doi: 10.15381/rpb.v23i3.12865.

Kartika I, Bang I, Riani C, Insanu M, Kwak JH, Chung KH, et al. Isolation and Characterization of Phenylpropanoid and Lignan Compounds from Peperomia pellucida [L.] Kunth with Estrogenic Activities. Molecules. 2020;25(21):4914. doi: 10.3390/molecules25214914.

Min W-H, Ko C-Y, Kim H, Kwon H-K, Jang H-J, Bach TT, et al. Anti‑inflammatory effects of methanol extract from Peperomia dindygulensis Miq. mediated by HO‑1 in LPS‑induced RAW 264.7 cells. Exp Ther Med. 2024;28(2):317. doi: 10.3892/etm.2024.12606.

Queiroz APS, Freitas MCC, Silva JRA, Lima AB, Sawada L, Martins Monteiro RF, et al. Pellucidin A promotes antinociceptive activity by peripheral mechanisms inhibiting COX-2 and NOS: In vivo and in silico study. PLoS One. 2020;15(9):e0238834. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0238834.

Nwokocha CR, Owu D, Kinlocke K, Murray J. Possible Mechanism of Action of the Hypotensive Effect of Peperomia pellucida and Interactions between Human Cytochrome P450 Enzymes. Med Aromat. 2012;1(4):105. doi: 10.4172/2167-0412.1000105.

Takakura S, Tanaka H, Enomoto N, Maki S, Ikeda T. The successful use of nitroglycerin for uterine hyperstimulation with fetal heart rate abnormality caused by a controlled-release dinoprostone vaginal delivery system (PROPESS): A Case Report. Medicina. 2021;57(5):478. doi: 10.3390/medicina57050478.

Bai J, Qi Q, Li Y, Day R, Makhoul J, Magness R, et al. Estrogen Receptors and Estrogen-Induced Uterine Vasodilation in Pregnancy. Int J Mol Sci. 2020;21(12):4349. doi: 10.3390/ijms21124349.