Relaxant effect of Zataria multiflora Boiss L. and its ingredients on smooth muscles, possible mechanisms and clinical application

Zataria multiflora Boiss L. (Z. multiflora) is belonged to the Lamiaceae family, formerly used for culinary and medicinal purposes. Various pharmacological effects of Z. multiflora such as bronchodilation, effect on lung inflammation, cold and gynecology disorders have been reported. A literature search was performed in the following databases: Science Direct, PubMed, Scopus and Google Scholar. The keywords including “Zataria multiflora Boiss.”, “carvacrol”, “thymol”, “linalool”, “smooth muscle” and “relaxant effects” were searched. The relaxant effects of Z. multiflora and its ingredients on different smooth muscles including trachea, vascular, gastrointestinal and urogenital smooth muscle were demonstrated. The relaxant effect of Z. multiflora on smooth muscles could be of therapeutic importance, such as bronchodilation in obstructive respiratory disorders, vasodilation in hypertension and reliving digestive or urogenital disorders. The possible mechanisms of the relaxant effect of Z. multiflora and its components, mainly carvacrol on smooth muscle such as inhibitory effect on histamine (H1) and muscarinic receptors, calcium channel blocking effects and stimulatory effect on the beta adrenergic receptor were shown.