title: Ethanolic extract of Spirulina maxima alters the vasomotor reactivity of aortic rings from obese rats.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Aortic rings with endothelium excised from fructose-fed obese rats develop more tension in response to phenylephrine and relax less in response to carbachol than corresponding rings from lean rats. This altered vascular reactivity is prevented when Spirulina maxima is added to the fructose-rich diet. In the present study the effects of a raw ethanolic extract of Spirulina maxima on the vasomotor responses of aorta rings from sucrose-fed obese hypertensive rats were analyzed.
  
  
  METHODS
  The experiments were performed on aorta rings from sucrose-fed obese male rats. For each experiment, a pair of rings from the same aorta (one with intact endothelium, the other without a functional endothelium) was used. In this study we analyzed, in vitro, the effects of the ethanolic extract of Spirulina maxima on the reactivity of the aortic rings to phenylephrine and to carbachol.
  
  
  RESULTS
  On rings with endothelium, the extract produced the following effects: a) a concentration-dependent (0.06-1.0 mg/mL) decrease of the contractile response to phenylephrine; b) a rightward shift and a decrease in maximal developed tension, of the concentration-response curve to phenylephrine; c) a concentration-dependent relaxation of phenylephrine-precontracted rings. These effects persisted in the presence of indomethacin but were prevented by L-NAME. The extract had no effect on the concentration-response curve of phenylephrine-precontracted rings to carbachol. On endothelium-denuded rings the extract caused a significant rightward shift of the concentration response curve to phenylephrine without any effect on maximal tension development.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that, in rings from obese rats, the extract, in addition to increasing the synthesis/release of NO, also inhibits the synthesis/release of a cyclooxygenase-dependent vasoconstrictor metabolite of arachidonic acid, which is increased in obesity.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Fisiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico. mascher@servidor.unam.mx
authors.forename: Dieter
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mascher
authors.forename: Ma Cristina
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Paredes-Carbajal
authors.forename: Patricia V
authors.initials: PV
authors.lastname: Torres-Durán
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zamora-González
authors.forename: Juan C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Díaz-Zagoya
authors.forename: Marco A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Juárez-Oropeza
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000818:Animals; D001013:Aorta, Thoracic / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001688:Biological Products / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000737:chemistry; D000458:Cyanobacteria / Q000737:chemistry*; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009924:Organ Culture Techniques; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D014661:Vasoconstriction / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D001688:Biological Products