Antihypertensive properties of a traditional Chinese medicine GAO-ZI-YAO in elderly spontaneous hypertensive rats.

Abstract

AIM:

The present study aims to investigate the antihypertensive effect and the underlying mechanism of GAO-ZI-YAO, one of the traditional Chinese medicines, in elderly spontaneous hypertensive rats (SHR).

METHODS:

12-month-old male SHRs were randomly divided into five groups on the basis of treatment with different doses of GAO-ZI-YAO or angiotensin II receptor-1 blocker (ARB, Irbesartan) for four weeks. Systolic blood pressure (SBP), and serum levels of nitric oxide (NO), endothelin-1 (ET-1), angiotensin II (Ang II), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-2, IL-6, and tumor necrotic factor (TNF)-α were measured. The pathological changes of ventricular muscle and thoracic aorta were observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining (H&E).

RESULTS:

GAO-ZI-YAO treatment reduced SBP in a dose-dependent manner accompanied by the inhibition of the development of cardiovascular remodeling. Although GAO-ZI-YAO treatment markedly increased serum levels of NO and suppressed serum levels of Ang II, this medicine did not affect the serum levels of ET-1 and VEGF. In addition, GAO-ZI-YAO also inhibited inflammatory response parameters (inflammatory cell infiltration in cardiac tissues and serum levels of IL-1β, IL-2, IL-6, and TNF-α) in a dose-dependent manner.

CONCLUSION:

GAO-ZI-YAO exerts antihypertensive and anti-cardiovascular-remodeling effects in elderly SHR, which may be through regulation of NO, Ang II production, and inflammation.

• Authors: Bin Dai, Zi-Zhang Wang, Hui Zhang, Meng-Xiao Han, Guo-Xing Zhang, Jing-Wei Chen
• Journal: Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie (Biomed Pharmacother) Vol. 131 Pg. 110739 (Nov 2020) ISSN: 1950-6007 [Electronic] France
• PMID: 32932045 (Publication Type: Journal Article)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.. All rights reserved.

Chemical References

• Anti-Inflammatory Agents
• Antihypertensive Agents
• Cytokines
• Drugs, Chinese Herbal
• Endothelin-1
• Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A
• Angiotensin II
• Nitric Oxide
• Irbesartan

Topics

• Angiotensin II (blood, physiology)
• Animals
• Anti-Inflammatory Agents (pharmacology)
• Antihypertensive Agents (pharmacology, therapeutic use)
• Blood Pressure (drug effects)
• Cytokines (blood)
• Drugs, Chinese Herbal (pharmacology, therapeutic use)
• Endothelin-1 (blood, physiology)
• Hypertension (drug therapy)
• Irbesartan (therapeutic use)
• Male
• Medicine, Chinese Traditional
• Nitric Oxide (blood, physiology)
• Rats
• Rats, Inbred SHR
• Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A (blood, physiology)