title: Arctigenin reduces blood pressure by modulation of nitric oxide synthase and NADPH oxidase expression in spontaneously hypertensive rats.
abstract: Arctigenin is a bioactive constituent from dried seeds of Arctium lappa L., which was traditionally used as medicine. Arctigenin exhibits various bioactivities, but its effects on blood pressure regulation are still not widely studied. In this study, we investigated antihypertensive effects of arctigenin by long-term treatment in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs). Arctigenin (50 mg/kg) or vehicle was administered to SHRs or Wistar rats as negative control by oral gavage once a day for total 8 weeks. Nifedipine (3 mg/kg) was used as a positive drug control. After treatment, hemodynamic and physical parameters, vascular reactivity in aorta, the concentration of plasma arctigenin and serum thromboxane B2, NO release and vascular p-eNOS, p-Akt, caveolin-1 protein expression, and vascular superoxide anion generation and p47phox protein expression were detected and analyzed. The results showed that arctigenin significantly reduced systolic blood pressure and ameliorated endothelial dysfunction of SHRs. Arctigenin reduced the levels of thromboxane B2 in plasma and superoxide anion in thoracic aorta of SHRs. Furthermore, arctigenin increased the NO production by enhancing the phosphorylation of Akt and eNOS (Ser 1177), and inhibiting the expression of NADPH oxidase in thoracic aorta of SHRs. Our data suggested that antihypertensive mechanisms of arctigenin were associated with enhanced eNOS phosphorylation and decreased NADPH oxidase-mediated superoxide anion generation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, Public Health College, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, PR China. Electronic address: liuying0223@sohu.com.
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: First Affiliated Hospital, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, PR China.
authors.forename: Guoyuan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Third Affiliated Hospital, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, PR China.
authors.forename: Mingguang
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, Public Health College, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, PR China.
authors.forename: Haining
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, Public Health College, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, PR China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: zhao
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Basic Medical Science College, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, PR China.
authors.forename: Shucai
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, Public Health College, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, PR China.
authors.forename: Changhao
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sun
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005663:Furans / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D017705:Lignans / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D008297:Male; D019255:NADPH Oxidases / Q000378:metabolism*; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D011918:Rats, Inbred SHR; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents; D005663:Furans; D017705:Lignans; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D019255:NADPH Oxidases; C071942:arctigenin
keywords: Arctigenin; Endothelial nitric oxide synthase; NADPH oxidase; Spontaneously hypertensive rats