title: Screening of vasorelaxant activity of some medicinal plants used in Oriental medicines.
abstract: Hexane, ethylacetate (EtOAC), and n-butanol (n-BuOH) extracts of medicinal plants traditionally used in the East Asia, such as China, Korea, and Japan were screened for their vasorelaxant activity using isolated rat aorta. Among the 60 solvent-extracts from 20 medicinal plants, hexane and n-BuOH extracts of Diospyros kaki and Polygonum aviculare, hexane, EtOAC, and n-BuOH extracts of Magnolia liliflora, n-BuOH extract of Sorbus commixta, and EtOAC and n-BuOH extracts of Selaginella tamariscina were found to exhibit distinctive vasorelaxant activity. The activity disappeared by removal of functional endothelium or pre-treatment of the aortic tissues with N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), which is an inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase. These findings suggest that the medicinal plants relax vascular smooth muscle via endothelium-dependent nitric oxide. These results will be useful to further analyze those medicinal plants that contain the vasorelaxant activity in order to identify the active principles.
authors.affiliation: Department of Herbal Resources, Professional Graduate School of Oriental Medicine and Medicinal Resources Research Institute (MeRRI), Wonkwang University, Iksan, Jeonbuk 570-749, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Ming Hao
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.forename: Dae Gill
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Deok Ho
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Tae Oh
authors.initials: TO
authors.lastname: Kwon
authors.forename: Ho Sub
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001013:Aorta, Thoracic / Q000187:drug effects; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007537:Isometric Contraction / Q000187:drug effects; D007723:Korea; D008297:Male; D008518:Medicine, East Asian Traditional; D009129:Muscle Tonus / Q000187:drug effects; D019331:NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester / Q000494:pharmacology; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D052250:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology; D010946:Plants, Medicinal / Q000737:chemistry*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D014665:Vasodilator Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D010936:Plant Extracts; D014665:Vasodilator Agents; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D052250:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III; C496316:Nos3 protein, rat; D019331:NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester