Flavonoids from Achyrocline satureioides with relaxant effects on the smooth muscle of Guinea pig corpus cavernosum

Ethanol extract of the aerial parts of Achyrocline satureioides (Lam.) DC. (Asteraceae) showed a significant, dose dependent, relaxant effect on the smooth muscle of corpus cavernosum strips, obtained from Guinea pig (65.5 +/- 4.1% of relaxation at the dose of 25.0 mg/ml). Bioassay guided fractionation of this extract furnished two flavonoids, quercetin and quercetin 3-methyl ether, with important vasorelaxing effects on the corpus cavernosum strips (79.8 +/- 8.4 and 66.0 +/- 4.8% of relaxation respectively at the dose of 0.075 mg/ml). Two methyl derivatives of quercetin obtained by synthesis, quercetin 3,7,3',4'-tetramethylether and quercetin 3,5,7,3',4'-pentamethylether, showed similar relaxant effects at the dose of 0.075 mg/ml (86.4 +/- 8.5 and 67.31 +/- 1.4% of relaxation respectively). The results show that the ethanol extract of A. satureioides and the assayed compounds exhibit significant vasorelaxing properties. Additionally, it is shown that the number of methyl groups in the quercetin nucleus has no significant influence on the effectiveness of these compounds.