The prevalence of metabolic syndrome has increased in modern society and the condition is proving to be a common precursor of cardiovascular disease. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether astragaloside IV, a major active constituent of Astragalus membranaceus (Fisch) Bge., is able to prevent the development of hypertension and endothelial dysfunction in fructose-fed rats. Rats...

The endothelial actions of insulin remain an area of intense research because they relate to both insulin sensitivity and vascular tone. Physiological doses of insulin evoke endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation in humans; however, this remains a pharmacological phenomenon in rat aortas. Because insulin may stimulate the divergent production of both nitric oxide and endothelin-1, we hypothesized...

Bradykinin-induced activation of the pulmonary endothelium triggers nitric oxide production and other signals that cause vasorelaxation, including stimulation of large-conductance Ca(2+)-activated K(+) (BKCa) channels in myocytes that hyperpolarize the plasma membrane and decrease intracellular Ca(2+). Intrauterine chronic hypoxia (CH) may reduce vasorelaxation in the fetal-to-newborn transitio...

Naturally occurring hydroxystilbenes have been shown to induce vasorelaxation. Here, we studied the mechanism of resveratrol-induced vasorelaxation in different types of blood vessels, namely mesenteric (resistance) and main uterine (conductance) arteries, from female guinea-pigs on day 7 and day 15 of the oestrous cycle. Resveratrol (5-70 micromol/l) induced concentration-dependent relaxation ...

Favaloro JL, Kemp-Harper BK. Redox variants of NO (NO and HNO) elicit vasorelaxation of resistance arteries via distinct mechanisms. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 296: H1274–H1280, 2009; doi:10.1152/ajpheart.00008.2009.—The free radical form of nitric oxide (NO ) is a well-known mediator of vascular tone. What is not so well recognized is that NO exists in several different redox forms. There...

Apigenin is shown to have cardiovascular effects, but the effects of apigenin on aortas injured by exogenous oxidants are unknown. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of apigenin on endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation in isolated rat aortic rings exposed to superoxide anion produced by pyrogallol, and its mechanism. The male Sprague-Dawley rat thoracic aorta was rapidly d...

AIM To evaluate the effect of ginkgolide B treatment on vascular endothelial function in diabetic rats. METHODS The study included four groups with 15 male Sprague-Dawley rats: control group; control group treated with ginkgolide B; diabetic group; and diabetic treated with ginkgolide B. The activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde content, and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide...

Endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation is defective in hypertensive rats, especially in conduit arteries. In the stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rat, impaired endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation appears to contribute to the pathogenesis of stroke independent of blood pressure. Because treatment with lacidipine, a long-acting calcium channel blocker, protects against stroke and cardiovasc...

The effects of prolonged infusions of ethanol on endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation induced by acetylcholine and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and on endothelium-independent relaxation induced by papaverine were studied and compared in isolated perfused rat mesenteric artery preparations. Infusion of ethanol over 60 minutes at concentrations of 1.6, 4.7, 6.3, and 7.9 mg/ml caused concentration...

Objective(s) Diabetes related dysfunction of resistance vessels is associated with vascular occlusive diseases. Vasorelaxant agents may have a role in control of diabetic cardiovascular complications. Gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) has demonstrated to cause vasorelaxation. The present study was designed to determine i) the vasorelaxatory effect of GABA on diabetic vessels and ii) the role of en...