ArticleProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America2012
Castor oil induces laxation and uterus contraction via ricinoleic acid activating prostaglandin EP3 receptors.
Article in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 67 papers.
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Who cites it
67 citing papers in PubMed, 202 citations in OpenAlex.
- Emergent spatial structure in the gut microbiota is driven by bacterial growth and gut contractions.PLoS biology · 2026Article
- Castor Oil for Induction of Labor: A Safe and Effective Method: A Large Retrospective Cohort Study in a University Hospital Setting.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Analgesic and Antidiarrheal Properties of Lappaconitine, Possibly Through Cyclooxygenase and µ-Opioid Receptor Interaction Pathways: In Vivo and In Silico Studies.Immunity, inflammation and disease · 2026Article
- Induction of Labor with Oral Misoprostol - Effectiveness and Safety of Low-dose vs. High-dose Regimens.Geburtshilfe und Frauenheilkunde · 2025Article
- Isolation, Structure Elucidation, and Bioactivity Evaluation of Two Alkaloids FromFood science & nutrition · 2024Article
- Induction of Labor Using Castor Oil Cocktail - an Analysis of Real-world Data.Geburtshilfe und Frauenheilkunde · 2024Article
- ACAD10 and ACAD11 allow entry of 4-hydroxy fatty acids into β-oxidation.Cellular and molecular life sciences : CMLS · 2024Article
- Indulging Curiosity: Preliminary Evidence of an Anxiolytic-like Effect of Castor Oil and Ricinoleic Acid.Nutrients · 2024Article
- Pickle water ameliorates castor oil-induced diarrhea in mice by regulating the homeostasis of the gut microbiota and intestinal mucosal barrier.Frontiers in nutrition · 2024Article
- Evaluations of the in vivo Laxative Effects of Aqueous Leaf and Stem Extracts ofJournal of experimental pharmacology · 2024Article
- Evaluation of In Vivo Antidiarrheal Activities of 80% Methanol Extract and Solvent Fractions of Peels ofEvidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM · 2024Article
- Salvia officinalis flowers extract ameliorates liver and kidney injuries induced by simultaneous intoxication with ethanol/castor oil.Physiological reports · 2023Article
- Antidiarrheal and antioxidant activities ofHeliyon · 2023Article
- Remnants from the Past: From an 18th Century Manuscript to 21st Century Ethnobotany in Valle Imagna (Bergamo, Italy).Plants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Medical Countermeasures against Ricin Intoxication.Toxins · 2023Review
- UHPLC-MS profiles and antidiarrheal activity ofFrontiers in pharmacology · 2023Article
- Castor Oil in Bowel Preparation Regimens for Colon Capsule Endoscopy: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Review
- Evaluation ofMetabolism open · 2022Article
- Nanostructured Lipid Carriers for Nose to Brain Delivery Targeting CNS: Diversified Role of Liquid Lipids for Synergistic Action.Advanced pharmaceutical bulletin · 2022Review
- Effect of Castor Oil on Cervical Ripening and Labor Induction: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of pharmacopuncture · 2022Review
7 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Castor oil is one of the oldest drugs. When given orally, it has a laxative effect and induces labor in pregnant females. The effects of castor oil are mediated by ricinoleic acid, a hydroxylated fatty acid released from castor oil by intestinal lipases. Despite the wide-spread use of castor oil in conventional and folk medicine, the molecular mechanism by which ricinoleic acid acts remains unknown. Here we show that the EP(3) prostanoid receptor is specifically activated by ricinoleic acid and that it mediates the pharmacological effects of castor oil. In mice lacking EP(3) receptors, the laxative effect and the uterus contraction induced via ricinoleic acid are absent. Although a conditional deletion of the EP(3) receptor gene in intestinal epithelial cells did not affect castor oil-induced diarrhea, mice lacking EP(3) receptors only in smooth-muscle cells were unresponsive to this drug. Thus, the castor oil metabolite ricinoleic acid activates intestinal and uterine smooth-muscle cells via EP(3) prostanoid receptors. These findings identify the cellular and molecular mechanism underlying the pharmacological effects of castor oil and indicate a role of the EP(3) receptor as a target to induce laxative effects.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.