Title:Ammodaucus leucotrichus Acts as an Antihypertensive and Vasorelaxant
Agent Through sGC and Prostaglandin Synthesis Pathways
Volume: 21
Issue: 3
Author(s): Smail Amtaghri, Miloudia Slaoui and Mohamed Eddouks*
Affiliation:
- Team of Ethnopharmacology and Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Sciences and Techniques Errachidia, Moulay Ismail
University of Meknes, BP 509, Boutalamine, Errachidia, 52000, Morocco
Keywords:
Ammodaucus leucotrichus, hypertension, L-NAME, vasorelaxant, angiotensin-converting enzyme-2(ACE2), sGCcGMP, vascular cyclooxygenase.
Abstract:
Background: Ammodaucus leucotrichus is a medicinal plant used in traditional medicine
to treat various ailments, including hypertension.
Aims: The study aimed to determine the antihypertensive activity of Ammodaucus leucotrichus.
Objective: The study aimed to investigate the antihypertensive and vasorelaxant activities of the
aqueous extract of Ammodaucus leucotrichus fruits (ALAE) in rats.
Methods: ALAE was prepared to study its antihypertensive effect in L-NAME (Nω-L-arginine methyl
ester)-induced hypertensive rats and its vasorelaxant activity in isolated thoracic aortas of rats.
The acute and subchronic effects of ALAE on systolic, diastolic, mean arterial pressure, and heart
rate (HR) were evaluated after oral administration of ALAE (60 and 100 mg/kg body weight) for 6 h
for the acute experiment and over 7 days for the subchronic test. Isolated thoracic aortic rings were
prepared to examine the vasorelaxant action of ALAE. Several common pharmacological agents
were used to test potential pathways implicated in vasorelaxant action.
Results: The results showed that ALAE reduced blood pressure parameters (systolic, mean, and
diastolic blood pressure) in L-NAME-induced hypertension rats after repeated oral treatment over
seven days without affecting normotensive rats. Furthermore, in thoracic aortic rings pre-contracted
with epinephrine (EP) (10 μM) or KCl (80 mM), ALAE (0.250-1.625 mg/ml) showed a vasorelaxant
effect. In isolated rat thoracic aortas, blockage of soluble guanylyl cyslase with blue methylene
(P < 0.01) partially decreased this vasorelaxant effect. In addition, blockage of the prostaglandin
synthesis pathway with indomethacin (P<0.05) also reduced the vasorelaxant activity of ALAE.
Pretreatment of aortic rings with glibenclamide, propanolol, L-NAME, MLN-4760, or nifedipine
did not affect ALAE-induced vasorelaxation.
Conclusion:Ammodaucus leucotrichus is a prescient medicinal plant, able to act as an antihypertensive
agent. Moreover, the results suggest that the extract increased cGMP in NO-independent manner.
