Abstract
Background and Objectives: Herbal medicines are recommended as remedy for different cardiac diseases. Acacia possessing significant pharmacological activities, widely found in KSA. The effect of Acacia tortilis leaves decoction (ATLD) on cardiac hemodynamics was evaluated in rats. Methods: Different hemodynamic parameters (systolic, diastolic, mean arterial blood pressure and heart rate) were recorded in normotensive rats before and after the intravenous administration of ATLD. Results: The different doses showed a dose dependent significant hypotensive effect. However the highest dose (30 mg kg(-1)) showed maximum activity and lowered the systolic pressure (17.4 +/- 2.95%), diastolic blood pressure (15.2 +/- 1.8%) and mean arterial blood pressure (17.1 +/- 2.4%). Intravenous administration of ATLD also showed a dose-dependent reduction in heart rate (p<0.001). Conclusion:The hypotensive and bradycardia might had been due to presence of N,N Dimethyltryptamine in extract that reduced the blood pressure and heart rate. Thus, the authors conclude that the ATLD possesses potent hypotensive activity and sought to be useful for anti hypertensive drug development and worth much merit to be investigated.