title: Vasodilating and hypotensive effects of fangchinoline and tetrandrine on the rat aorta and the stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rat.
abstract: Comparative studies of the effects of tetrandrine (TET) and fangchinoline (FAN), two major components of the Radix of Stephannia tetrandrae, on vasodilations and on calcium movement in vascular smooth muscle, and studies of hypotensive effects on stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP) were performed in the following experiments. TET and FAN inhibited high K+ (65.4 mM) and induced sustained contraction in the rat aorta smooth muscle strips. IC50 values for TET and FAN were 0.27 +/- 0.05 microM (n = 6) and 9.53 +/- 1.57 microM (n = 6), respectively, and this inhibition was antagonized by increasing the Ca2+ concentration in the medium. The IC50 of TET for norepinephrine (NE)-induced contraction (0.86 +/- 0.04 g) was 3.08 +/- 0.05 microM (n = 4), and the IC50 of FAN for NE-induced contraction (0.88 +/- 0.07 g) was 14.20 +/- 0.40 microM (n = 4). At the molecular level, radiolabelled 45Ca2+ uptake tests revealed that TET and FAN also inhibited high K+ (65.4 mM) and 1 microM NE-stimulated Ca2+ influx in rat aorta strips at the maximal concentration was needed to inhibit the contraction. TET (3 mg/kg) and FAN (30 mg/kg) administered by intravenous (i.v.) bolus injection also lowered the mean arterial pressure (MAP) significantly during the period of observation in conscious SHRSP, respectively. These results showed that TET was more potent than FAN in blocking calcium channels and antihypertensive activity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, South Korea.
authors.forename: H S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Y H
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: K W
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.forename: H Y
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Ahn
mesh_terms: D000470:Alkaloids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D001011:Aorta / Q000187:drug effects; D044182:Benzylisoquinolines; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D009119:Muscle Contraction / Q000187:drug effects; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000187:drug effects*; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D011188:Potassium / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D051381:Rats; D011918:Rats, Inbred SHR; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D000470:Alkaloids; D044182:Benzylisoquinolines; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; C009438:tetrandrine; C060802:fangchinoline; D011188:Potassium; D009638:Norepinephrine