title: Endothelium-Independent Vasorelaxant Effect of Ligusticum jeholense Root and Rhizoma on Rat Thoracic Aorta.
abstract: Ligusticum jeholense has been used as the traditional medicine 'Go-Bon' (Chinese name, Gao-ben) in China and Korea. Considering the increased use of medicinal herbs to treat hypertension, in this study, we aimed to investigate the mechanisms of the vasorelaxation effect caused by L. jeholense. We tested the methanol (MeOH) extract of L. jeholense root and rhizoma for vasorelaxant effects; while using an isolated organ-chamber technique, L. jeholense extract (LJE) induced relaxation in the rat aortic rings by stimulating vascular endothelial and smooth muscle cells. LJE showed concentration-dependent relaxant effects on endothelium-intact and endothelium-denuded aortic rings pre-contracted with both phenylephrine (PE) and potassium chloride (KCl) in Krebs-Henseleit (KH) buffer. The vasorelaxant effect of LJE was partly attenuated by pre-treatment with glibenclamide or 4-aminopyridine (4-AP) as K+ channel blockers. Moreover, LJE showed concentration-dependent inhibition of vasoconstriction by Ca2+ supplementation in the aortic rings that were pre-contracted with PE or KCl in Ca2+-free KH buffer. In addition, a combination of LJE and nifedipine, pre-incubated further, decreased PE-induced contractions. The results suggested that LJE-induced vasorelaxation were related to blocking K+ channels and inhibiting entry of extracellular Ca2+ via receptor-operative Ca2+ channels (ROCCs) or voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels (VDCCs).
authors.affiliation: Department of Herbology, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 130-701, Korea. ori-pharm@hanmail.net.
authors.forename: Bumjung
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Herbology, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 130-701, Korea. dostudy@naver.com.
authors.forename: Kyungjin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Herbology, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 130-701, Korea. sumankhanita6@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Khanita Suman
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Chinannai
authors.affiliation: Department of Herbology, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 130-701, Korea. iham@khu.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Inhye
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ham
authors.affiliation: Department of Herbology, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 130-701, Korea. ymbu@khu.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Youngmin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Bu
authors.affiliation: Department of Herbology, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 130-701, Korea. hckim@khu.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Hocheol
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Herbology, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 130-701, Korea. hychoi@khu.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Ho-Young
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Choi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001013:Aorta, Thoracic / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D001285:Atropine / Q000494:pharmacology; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D015220:Calcium Channels / Q000378:metabolism; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D005110:Extracellular Space / Q000378:metabolism; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007213:Indomethacin / Q000494:pharmacology; D030004:Ligusticum / Q000737:chemistry*; D008297:Male; D009543:Nifedipine / Q000494:pharmacology; D010656:Phenylephrine / Q000494:pharmacology; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000737:chemistry*; D015221:Potassium Channels / Q000378:metabolism; D011189:Potassium Chloride / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D014661:Vasoconstriction / Q000187:drug effects; D014662:Vasoconstrictor Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D014664:Vasodilation / Q000187:drug effects*; D014665:Vasodilator Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D015220:Calcium Channels; D010936:Plant Extracts; D015221:Potassium Channels; D014662:Vasoconstrictor Agents; D014665:Vasodilator Agents; D010656:Phenylephrine; D011189:Potassium Chloride; D001285:Atropine; D009543:Nifedipine; D002118:Calcium; D007213:Indomethacin
keywords: Ligusticum jeholense; calcium channels; hypertension; potassium channels; vasorelaxant effect