Potential vasorelaxant effects of oleanolic acid and erythrodiol, two triterpenoids contained in 'orujo' olive oil, on rat aorta.
'Orujo' olive oil is obtained by chemical processes from the waste resulting from the mechanical extraction of virgin olive oil. The aim of the present study was to evaluate a new pharmacological property of two natural triterpenoids contained in olive oil, as vasodilatory agents, and to determine their mechanism of action. The two compounds studied were oleanolic acid and erythrodiol. The vasorelaxant effect induced by these pentacyclic triterpenoids was studied in isolated thoracic rat aorta. Oleanolic acid and erythrodiol, accumulatively added, showed vasorelaxant activities in aortic rings with endothelium pre-contracted by 10(-6) m-phenylephrine (maximum percentage of relaxation 86.38 (sem 2.89) and 73.53 (sem 6.01), respectively). They had almost no relaxant effect on depolarised or endothelium-denuded aortic segments. The relaxation was significantly attenuated by pre-treatment with the NO synthase inhibitor N(omega)-nitro-L-arginine-methylester (L-NAME; 3x10(-4) m). To characterise the involvement of endothelial factors, in addition to NO, arteries with endothelium were exposed to 10(-5) m-indomethacin (INDO), a cyclo-oxygenase inhibitor, or INDO plus L-NAME. INDO did not have any significant effect on the relaxant response of both compounds. The combination of L-NAME plus INDO only abolished the oleanolic acid-induced relaxation. The present results suggest that the mechanism of relaxation seems to be mainly mediated by the endothelial production of NO; however, other mechanisms cannot be excluded. It can be concluded that oleanolic acid and erythrodiol may have interesting therapeutic potential as new vasodilator drugs, thus protecting the cardiovascular system. Therefore, the intake of 'orujo' olive oil, as a source of these compounds, might be beneficial in this regard.
Rodríguez-Rodríguez
Rosalía
R
Instituto de la Grasa, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Avda Padre García Tejero n. 4, 41012 Sevilla, Spain.
Herrera
María Dolores
MD
Perona
Javier S
JS
Ruiz-Gutiérrez
Valentina
V
D000818:Animals; D001013:Aorta, Thoracic / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D000252:Calcium-Transporting ATPases / Q000502:physiology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000502:physiology; D009828:Oleanolic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000069463:Olive Oil; D010656:Phenylephrine / Q000494:pharmacology; D010938:Plant Oils / Q000737:chemistry*; D011189:Potassium Chloride / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D046509:Tissue Culture Techniques; D014664:Vasodilation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D014665:Vasodilator Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*
D000069463:Olive Oil; D010938:Plant Oils; D014665:Vasodilator Agents; D010656:Phenylephrine; D009569:Nitric Oxide; C077953:erythrodiol; D011189:Potassium Chloride; D009828:Oleanolic Acid; D000252:Calcium-Transporting ATPases