title: Glycyrrhetinic acid reverses the lipopolysaccharide-induced hypocontractility to noradrenaline in rat aorta: implications to septic shock.
abstract: Septic shock and associated vascular hyporeactivity to vasoconstrictor agonists remain a major problem of critical care medicine. Here we report that glycyrrhetinic acid (GA), the active component of licorice, effectively restores vascular contractility in the model of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated rat aorta. GA was as effective as the NO synthase inhibitor N(G)-nitroarginine methylester. GA did not affect the vascular NO levels (measured by EPR spin trapping) and relaxations to L-arginine in LPS-treated rings as well as relaxation to S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine in control rings. Thus, GA may represent an interesting alternative to NO synthase inhibitors in sepsis-associated vascular dysfunction.
authors.affiliation: UMR CNRS 7213, Laboratory of Biophotonics and Pharmacology, University of Strasbourg, France.
authors.forename: Bernard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Muller
authors.forename: Petr G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Aparin
authors.forename: Jean-Claude
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Stoclet
authors.forename: Andrei L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Kleschyov
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001011:Aorta / Q000187:drug effects*; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D006034:Glycyrrhetinic Acid / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006035:Glycyrrhiza / Q000737:chemistry; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008297:Male; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008517:Phytotherapy; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012772:Shock, Septic / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology*; D014661:Vasoconstriction / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D006034:Glycyrrhetinic Acid; D009638:Norepinephrine