Abstract:
Digitalis lanata has a well-deserved place in drug industry.This
interest dates back in 1785, when the effects of Digitalis lanata extracts were
discovered and digoxin became part of the heart failure treatment.
The xx century saw this interest growing as the drug industry
expanded. The leaves of Digitalis lanata - the source of cardiotonic
glycosides - are used in the treatment of heart failure as drug products only.
Digitalis leaves are rich in active principles (cardenolides or
cardiotonic glycosides). Their chemical composition is complex besides the
cardiac heterosydes being saponins and flavones, organic acids, lipids and
glucids, tannins and mucilages. The digitalic biologicals (compositions) have
a cardiotonic and diuretic action due to the glycosides from A group that
increase the energy of cardiac contraction. The immediate effect is a much
faster and complete heart drainage in the systole period, a better filling and
reduction of the diastolic volume, a reduction of the venous pressure, and an
increase of the mechanical efficiency of the myocardium. This fact allows the
heart to fulfill its activity with minimum oxygen consumption. A further effect,
due to the increase of the cardiac activity’s efficiency is the increase of the
urinary excretion. At present all the cardiotonic drugs are obtained
industrially in our country only from the Digitalis lanata leaves. The results
obtained with these species show that experimental mutagenesis can be an
efficient method in obtaining some plants with superior bioproductive
characteristics, insufficiently exploited in the amelioration activity of this
type of plants. Nowadays mutagenesis is considered to be an indispensable
way for obtaining some desired mutations and the mutations induction could
be the unique alternative for the improvement of a character without
affecting the rest of the genome. The intervention with mutagenic agents
increases considerably the frequency of mutations appearance and if the
number of mutations increases, the chance of some useful mutations
identifications will be greater in amelioration. This work's objectives
encompass the history of D. lanata, the current studies on its effects as well
as its use in the perspective.
