title: Nitric oxide mediates the antihypertensive and vascular relaxing effects of a soluble cocoa fiber product in spontaneously hypertensive rats.
abstract: The involvement of endothelial-relaxing factors on the vascular and antihypertensive effects of a cocoa fiber product (CFP) obtained from cocoa husks was studied. We carried out in vitro experiments with aorta rings from untreated spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and in vivo experiments with SHR. CFP did not relax the endothelium denuded aorta rings and N(W)-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (l-NAME) partially blocked the vascular relaxing and antihypertensive effects of CFP. Nevertheless, indomethacin did not modify these effects. Nitric oxide mediates therefore the antihypertensive and aorta relaxing effects of CFP in SHR.
authors.affiliation: Dpto. Farmacología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Complutense, Avda. Complutense s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fernández Vallinas
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: López Carreras
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miguel
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aleixandre
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001011:Aorta / Q000187:drug effects / Q000503:physiopathology; D002099:Cacao / Q000737:chemistry*; D009126:Muscle Relaxation / Q000187:drug effects*; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000187:drug effects*; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D011918:Rats, Inbred SHR; D012995:Solubility
chemical_list: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents; D009569:Nitric Oxide