Abstract
The present study was designed to evaluate the antihypertensive effect of GaMiSamHwangSaSimTang (HVC1), a 30% ethanol extract of a mixture comprising Pruni Cortex, Scutellariae Radix, Coptidis Rhizoma, and Rhei Rhizoma, on spontaneous hypertensive rats (SHRs). The systolic blood pressure (SBP) was measured every 4 or 7 days using the noninvasive tail cuff system. The vasorelaxant effects on isolated aortic rings were evaluated. Aortic rings were contracted using phenylephrine (PE) or KCl, and the changes in tension were recorded via isometric transducers connected to a data acquisition system. In this study, oral administration of HVC1 decreased the SBP of SHRs over the experimental period. HVC1 induced concentration-dependent relaxation in the aortic rings that had been precontracted using PE or KCl. The vasorelaxant effects of HVC1 on endothelium-intact aortic rings were inhibited by pretreatment with Nω-Nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) or methylene blue. HVC1 inhibited the contraction induced by extracellular Ca2+ in endothelium-denuded rat aortic rings that had been precontracted using PE or KCl. In conclusion, HVC1 reduced the SBP of SHR and relaxed isolated SHR aortic rings by upregulating NO formation and the NO-cGMP pathway and blocking the entry of extracellular Ca2+ via receptor-operative Ca2+ channel and voltage-dependent Ca2+ channel.
Highlights
Hypertension is a global public health issue and is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, and kidney disease [1]
At the end of the experiment, the systolic blood pressure (SBP) of the control group had increased to 225.2 ± 1.9 mmHg
HVC1, a herbal prescription containing extracts of Pruni Cortex (PC), Scutellariae Radix (SR), Coptidis Rhizoma (CR), and Rhizoma Rhei (RR), decreased the SBP of spontaneous hypertensive rats (SHRs) and relaxed aortic rings that had been contracted by treatment with PE or KCl
Summary
Hypertension is a global public health issue and is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, and kidney disease [1]. In 2013, in Korea, the prevalence of hypertension in men and women over 30 years of age was 32.4 and 22.2%, respectively; the prevalence increased with age and in adults over 70 years of age, the prevalence of hypertension in men was 59%. There are several useful traditional medicines for the treatment of hypertension [5,6,7], but few patients choose to use them, and health insurance does not pay for them.
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