PHARMACOLOGICAL STUDY OF THE MUSCLE PARALYZING ACTIVITY OF THE JUICE OF THE BANANA TRUNK

Extracts of the juice of the banana trunk were assayed in the isolated phrenic nerve-diaphragm muscle preparation of the rat. The chemical composition of those producing muscular paralysis was then studied. As active extracts mainly consisted of monopotassium oxalate, the effect of this compound on the muscle preparation was investigated and compared with that of the active extracts. The pattern of muscular paralysis induced by monopotassium oxalate was the same as that seen with the juice extracts. Likewise inhibition of contractions of the tibialis muscle was observed in vivo after intra-arterial administration of both the crude concentrate of the juice and monopotassium oxalate. These findings suggest that monopotassium oxalate could be responsible for the muscular paralysis caused by the juice of banana trunk.