Carthami flos regulates gastrointestinal motility functions

BACKGROUND: Gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms are common in the general population. This investigation studied the effects of Carthami flos (CF), a natural product, on GI motility. METHODS: We checked the intestinal transit rates (ITRs) or gastric emptying in normal and in GI-motility-dysfunction (GMD) mice in vivo. The GMD mice were made by acetic acid or streptozotocin. RESULTS: Both ITRs and gastric emptying were increased by CF (0.0025–0.25 g/kg) dose dependently. Also, in the GMD mice models, acetic-acid-induced peritoneal irritation, and streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice, the ITRs were decreased compared to normal mice, and these decreases were inhibited by CF. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that CF is one of the good candidates for the development of a prokinetic agent that may regulate GI-motility functions.