Abstract
Despite pharmacotherapeutic advances, cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the primary cause of global mortality. Alternative approaches, such as herbal medicine, continue to be sought to reduce this burden. Origanum majorana is recognized for many medicinal values, yet its vasculoprotective effects remain poorly investigated. Here, we subjected rat thoracic aortae to increasing doses of an ethanolic extract of Origanum majorana (OME). OME induced relaxation in a dose-dependent manner in endothelium-intact rings. This relaxation was significantly blunted in denuded rings. N(ω)-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) or 1H-[1,2,4]oxadiazolo[4,3,-a]quinoxalin-1-one (ODQ) significantly reduced the OME-induced vasorelaxation. Cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) levels were also increased by OME. Moreover, wortmannin or LY294002 significantly reduced OME-induced vasorelaxation. Blockers of ATP-sensitive or Ca2+-activated potassium channels such as glibenclamide or tetraethylamonium (TEA), respectively, did not significantly affect OME-induced relaxation. Similarly, verapamil, a Ca2+ channel blocker, indomethacin, a non-selective cyclooxygenase inhibitor, and pyrilamine, a H1 histamine receptor blocker, did not significantly modulate the observed relaxation. Taken together, our results show that OME induces vasorelaxation via an endothelium-dependent mechanism involving the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3-K)/ endothelial nitric oxide (NO) synthase (eNOS)/cGMP pathway. Our findings further support the medicinal value of marjoram and provide a basis for its beneficial intake. Although consuming marjoram may have an antihypertensive effect, further studies are needed to better determine its effects in different vascular beds.
Highlights
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) continues to cause more mortalities than any other disease [1].Despite major pharmacotherapeutic advances, chronically elevated blood pressure persists as a major contributor to cardiovascular disease (CVD)-associated mortality [2]
We have shown that marjoram inhibits the malignant phenotype of breast cancer cells [15,16]
Here in our study, we report that Origanum majorana relaxation (OME) increased production of Cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP), clearly supporting the involvement of soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC)-cGMP in OME-induced relaxation
Summary
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) continues to cause more mortalities than any other disease [1].Despite major pharmacotherapeutic advances, chronically elevated blood pressure persists as a major contributor to CVD-associated mortality [2]. Biomolecules 2019, 9, 227 developed, these synthetic drugs are not without many deleterious adverse effects. More interest has been given to these therapies, largely due to their ease of availability, presumed low toxicity, and documented benefits [4,5,6,7,8]. Many of these plants have been employed for the particular treatment or management of cardiovascular disease [5,6,7,8,9]
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