title: The antihypertensive effect of the berberine derivative 6-protoberberine in spontaneously hypertensive rats.
abstract: Berberine is a natural isoquinoline alkaloid found in plants of the Ranunculaceae and Berberidaceae families. Extracts from berberine-containing plants have been used as traditional Chinese folk remedies for centuries. The antihypertensive effects of the berberine derivative 6-protoberberine (PTB-6) were studied in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs). In conscious SHRs, PTB-6 lowered the systolic blood pressure in a dose-dependent manner (6-PTB: 5 mg/kg, -31.1 +/- 1.6 mm Hg; 10 mg/kg, -42.4 +/- 3.1 mm Hg). Cardiac output using the thermodilution method was reduced in PTB-6-treated anesthetized SHRs with a tendency to decrease in heart rate. Injection of PTB-6 into the intracerebral ventricles of SHRs lowered the systolic arterial blood pressure and heart rate. The berberine derivative PTB-6 is an effective antihypertensive agent. The mechanism of the antihypertensive effect of PTB-6 is probably through a central sympatholytic effect.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Taipei Medicine College and affiliated Taipei Wan-Fang Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: Y J
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Tomlinson
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: J T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Cheng
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001599:Berberine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D002302:Cardiac Output / Q000187:drug effects; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000187:drug effects / Q000503:physiopathology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D007276:Injections, Intraventricular; D051381:Rats; D011918:Rats, Inbred SHR; D011921:Rats, Inbred WKY; D013318:Stroke Volume / Q000187:drug effects; D013599:Systole
chemical_list: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents; D001599:Berberine