title: [Effect and mechanism of puerarin on high glucose-induced hypo-responses in vascular contraction].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the effect of puerarin on high glucose-induced decrease in contraction of isolated rat aortic rings, and to elucidate its underlying mechanism.
  
  
  METHODS
  The thoracic aortic rings with or without endothelium of male Sprague-Dawley rats were mounted on a bath system. Isometric contractions of aortic rings were measured. The activity of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) was also measured.
  
  
  RESULTS
  (1) After incubation with 44 mmol/L of glucose (high glucose) for 4 h, the vascular contraction responses to phenylephrine (PE) decreased in an endothelium-dependent manner, when compared with the control group (containing 11 mmol/L of glucose). (2) After coincubation with puerarin ( 10(-10) - 10(-8) mol/L) and high glucose, the decrease in contraction responses to PE of arteries was partly inhibited in a dose-dependent manner. (3) After incubation with puerarin for 4 h, the HO-1 activity of thoracic aorta increased; ZnPP, an inhibitor of HO-1, abrogated the protection effect of puerarin.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Puerarin could prevent the high glucose-induced decrease in contraction responses to PE in intact aortic rings. The mechanism might be involved in the activation of HO-1.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
authors.forename: Yi-Miao
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Chao
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ni
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Yue-Liang
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: Ying-Ying
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001013:Aorta, Thoracic / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D005947:Glucose / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006419:Heme Oxygenase (Decyclizing) / Q000378:metabolism; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007529:Isoflavones / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D014661:Vasoconstriction / Q000187:drug effects*; D014665:Vasodilator Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D007529:Isoflavones; D014665:Vasodilator Agents; D006419:Heme Oxygenase (Decyclizing); C491523:Hmox1 protein, rat; D005947:Glucose; C033607:puerarin