Screening of vasorelaxant activity of some medicinal plants used in Oriental medicines.
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.
Yin
Ming Hao
MH
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.
Kang
Dae Gill
DG
Choi
Deok Ho
DH
Kwon
Tae Oh
TO
Lee
Ho Sub
HS
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*
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