title: Beneficial effects of Acer okamotoanum sap on L-NAME-induced hypertension-like             symptoms in a rat model.
abstract: The sap of Acer okamotoanum has been termed 'bone-benefit-water' in Korea owing to its mineral and sugar content. In particular, the calcium (Ca) and potassium (K) concentrations of the sap of Acer okamotoanum are 40- and 20-times higher, respectively, than commercial spring water. In the present study, we examined whether Acer okamotoanum sap improves or prevents hypertension-like symptoms in a rat model. Male Sprague-Dawley rats (8-weeks-old) were provided commercial spring water supplemented with 25, 50 or 100% Acer okamotoanum sap, 3% potassium ions (K+) or captopril, and treated daily for 2 weeks with NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME; 100 mg/kg/day) by subcutaneous injection, in order to induce hypertensive symptoms. Rats were euthanized 6 h following the final injection. To assess the effect of the sap on hypertension-like symptoms, we examined the mean blood pressure (BP), protein levels and localization of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) in the descending aorta of the rats. BP levels were significantly lower in hypertensive rats received 25, 50 and 100% sap compared with rats who were administered only commercial spring water. Protein levels of eNOS were repressed in L-NAME-only-treated rats, but were elevated in the descending aorta of rats administered captopril, K+ water and Acer okamotoanum sap (25, 50 and 100%) up to the level of the sham group provided commercial spring water, and then injected with dimethyl sulfoxide for the same period of time. Localized eNOS protein was abundantly expressed in the perivascular descending aorta adipose tissue of the rats. Taken together, these results demonstrated that the sap of Acer okamotoanum ameliorated high BP induced by L-NAME treatment in a rat model.
authors: Laboratory of Veterinary Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Chungbuk 361-763, Republic of Korea.
authors: Hyun
authors: H
authors: Yang
authors: Inho
authors: I
authors: Hwang
authors: Tae-Hyoung
authors: TH
authors: Koo
authors: Hyo-Jin
authors: HJ
authors: Ahn
authors: Sun
authors: S
authors: Kim
authors: Mi-Jin
authors: MJ
authors: Park
authors: Won-Sil
authors: WS
authors: Choi
authors: Ha-Young
authors: HY
authors: Kang
authors: In-Gyu
authors: IG
authors: Choi
authors: Kyung-Chul
authors: KC
authors: Choi
authors: Eui-Bae
authors: EB
authors: Jeung
mesh_terms: D031002:Acer / Q000737:chemistry*; D000818:Animals; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects*; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D006973:Hypertension / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D019331:NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester / Q000633:toxicity; D052250:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III / Q000378:metabolism; D028321:Plant Preparations / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011188:Potassium / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D014867:Water / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D028321:Plant Preparations; D014867:Water; D052250:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III; D011188:Potassium; D002118:Calcium; D019331:NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester