Abstract
Anacardium occidentale Linn. (Anacardiaceae) is a plant largely used in Africa for the treatment of different diseases. In Côte d'Ivoire it's commonly used for the treatment of hypertension. The present study was carried out in order to assess the effects of Anacardium occidentale extract (ANOE) on cardiovascular parameters in animal models. A mercury manometer kymograph of Ludwig was used to measure the blood pressure of normotensive rabbits in control conditions (normal physiological solution) and under the influence of ANOE. The contractile activity of an isolated rat heart was also measured in control conditions and under the influence of ANOE in different physiological media using a modified Langendhorff (1895) apparatus. The aqueous Anacardium occidentale (ANOE) bark extract applied intravenously in different doses (12, 40, 90, and 167 mg/kg b.w.), produced a significant dose-dependent decrease in blood pressure of previously normotensive rabbits (up to 89% vs control). Atropine (1 mg/ml) pre-treatment failed to reverse the hypotensive effects elicited by the extract. ANOE applied to isolated rat heart preparations in different concentrations (0.01, 0.1, 1.0, and 10 µg/ml) induced negative inotropic and chronotropic effects. Atropine pre-treatment of heart preparations (0.1 µg/ml) failed to reverse the negative effects induced by ANOE. The extract's action on heart contractile activity studied in modified culture media further confirmed its cardio-inhibitory effects. ANOE induced strong hypotensive and cardio-inhibitory effects in animal models.
Highlights
In industrialized countries, hypertension affects over 20% of adult population, and is implicated in millions of deaths from stroke, heart failure and ischemic heart disease witnessed each year worldwide (Rosskopf et al, 2007)
The phytochemical study showed Anacardium occidentale extract to be rich in polyterpenes and phenolic compounds
The overall objective of this study was to determine whether the traditional use of Anacardium occidentale in hypertension treatment is based on actual pharmacological effects of the plant that could be demonstrated in animals and, if so, to try to understand the mode of action of this plant using the tools at our disposal
Summary
Hypertension affects over 20% of adult population, and is implicated in millions of deaths from stroke, heart failure and ischemic heart disease witnessed each year worldwide (Rosskopf et al, 2007). The World Health Organization has predicted that heart diseases and stroke shall gradually become even more deadly, with a projected combined death toll of 24 million by 2030 (Chumark et al, 2008; Sharma and Majumdar, 2009). There are potent indigenous herbal medicines available for certain diseases in various parts of the world, but many of them haven’t been scientifically validated yet. Proper validation of such medicines could lead to the development of cost-effective drugs (Njoroge and Bussmann, 2006; Kitula, 2007; Suresh and Asha, 2008)
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