Samchulkunbitang regulates blood pressure and renal function in L‐NAME‐induced hypertensive rat

Abstract

Hypertension is a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and endothelial dysfunction was found in humans as well as in various animal experimental models of arterial hypertension. Samchulkunbitang (SCT) is Korean traditional medicine. Traditionally, the SCT was used in gastritis, gastric ulcers, and gastroptosis. This study was performed to evaluate the effect of SCT on vascular dysfunction in NG‐nitro‐L‐arginine methyl ester (L‐NAME)‐induced hypertension model. Sprague Dawley rats were divided into 5 groups; Control group, L‐NAME induced hypertension group (40 mg/kg/day), L‐NAME with olmetec (10 mg/kg/day), L‐NAME with SCT (100 or 200 mg/kg/day). L‐NAME was treated as drinking water for 3 weeks to induce hypertension in rats. Simultaneously treated L‐NAME, SCT was injected to rats by oral intake for 2 weeks. The systolic blood pressure was decreased in SCT treated groups compared with L‐NAME induced hypertension group. SCT restored vasorelaxation of response to acetylcholine, cGMP production in thoracic aorta. SCT decreased intima‐media thickness and maintained smooth and soft intimal endothelial layers in aorta of L‐NAME induced hypertension rats. SCT restored the reduction eNOS expression and decreased ET‐1 expression. Also, in western blot, SCT increased p‐eNOS and p‐Akt expression in aorta of L‐NAME hypertensive rat. Furthermore, in renal functional parameters, SCT has recovered osmolality, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and serum creatinine level.Taken together, these results showed that recovering relaxation and cGMP production in thoracic aorta by treated SCT, which is associated with NO/cGMP pathway. In addition, SCT suppresses increase of blood pressure in the L‐NAME induced hypertensive model as well as ameliorates in renal function.Support or Funding InformationThis abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.