Abstract
BackgroundFar-infrared ray (FIR) has been widely used in promoting health and has been shown to exert beneficial effects in vascular function. The non-thermal effect of FIR has been found to play a significant role in the protective effect on some vascular-related diseases, but its protective effects and use against hypertension have not been clearly presented.MethodsIn the present study, by using a wooden board coated with FIR-irradiated materials, we evaluated the long-term antihypertensive effect on spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) in the environment in contact with the FIR-irradiated wooden board. SHRs were placed on the wooden board with or without FIR radiation for 4 weeks.ResultsThe systolic blood pressure (BP) of SHRs undergoing different treatments was measured weekly using a tail-cuff method. FIR radiation significantly reduced the systolic BP of the SHRs along with a decreasing plasma level of angiotensin II and an increasing plasma level of bradykinin. In addition, long-term contact of FIR did not significantly affect the BP in normotensive Wistar Kyoto rats (WKYs).ConclusionsOur results provided the evidence based on which FIR radiation could be considered an effective non-pharmacological choice for preventing hypertension.
Highlights
Far-infrared ray (FIR) has been widely used in promoting health and has been shown to exert beneficial effects in vascular function
The systolic blood pressure (BP) in the control spontaneous hypertension rat (SHR) was increased up to 193.6 mmHg at the end of the 4-week period of experiment, whereas SHRs on an FIRirradiated wooden board started to reduce systolic BP after 1 week, and this effect continued until the 4-week experimental period with gradual reduction in systolic BP
SHR administration with atenolol reduced the systolic BP more significantly at week 3 and 4 compared with the SHRs treated with FIR
Summary
Far-infrared ray (FIR) has been widely used in promoting health and has been shown to exert beneficial effects in vascular function. The non-thermal effect of FIR has been found to play a significant role in the protective effect on some vascular-related diseases, but its protective effects and use against hypertension have not been clearly presented. The etiology of hypertension is complex, the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) plays a major role in the pathology of hypertension [1, 2]. Renin catalyzes the conversion of angiotensinogen to angiotensin I, which is the ratedetermining step. FIR radiation has been widely applied to a variety of fields as it has positive effects on food preservation [6], health promotion [7], and cardiovascular systems [8, 9].
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