Antitussive and antiasthmatic effects of mulberroside A

Objective To investigate the antitussive,antiasthmatic and expectorant effects of mulberroside A,a major constituent of Cortex Mori.Methods Cough models were induced by ammonia,SO_2 and citric acid in mice and guinea pigs respectively;The latency and number of cough were recorded to indicate the effect of mulberroside A.Histamine was used to induce the asthma model in guinea pigs and the latency of asthma was recorded as the indicator of the efficacy.The excretory amount of sputum was determined by phenolsulphonphthalein excretion in mice,which were indicated by the OD values.Results The latency of cough induced by ammonia in mice was significantly prolonged by mulberroside A.Numbers of cough were significantly diminished by mulberroside A 80 mg·kg~(-1) in ammonia induced mice model,20 mg·kg~(-1) in SO_2 induced mice model,50 mg·kg~(-1) in citric acid induced model of guinea pigs.However,the expectorant effect of mulberroside A had no significant change even at high concentration 160 mg·kg~(-1).Conclusions Mulberroside A has significant antitussive effect and weak antiasthmatic effect,but no expectorant effect.