lignans and epalrestat

The lignan extracts from the tree bark of Eucommia ulmoides Oliv., a famous traditional Chinese medicine, have been demonstrated to have inhibitory effects on aldose reductase activity in spontaneously hypertensive rat myocardium. This study was aimed to investigate the hypertensive cardiac remodeling effects of the lignan extracts together with epalrestat. Ten-week-old male spontaneously hypertensive rats were randomly divided into three groups (n = 12, each) and administered 100 mg/kg/d of captopril (angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor), 100 mg/kg/d of epalrestat (aldose reductase inhibitor) or 300 mg/kg/d of lignan extracts by gavage for 16 weeks. Sex-, age-, and number-matched normotensive Wistar Kyoto rats with spontaneously hypertensive rats were treated with distilled water (vehicle) as controls. Systolic blood pressures were measured periodically. Echocardiography examination was taken when rats were 24 weeks old. We found that both captopril and lignan extracts lowered blood pressure, and inhibited aldose reductase activity similarly to epalrestat. Echocardiography examination and histomorphometry indices were improved in all treated groups (p < 0.05). Therefore, lignan extracts could prevent hypertensive cardiac remodeling, which is likely related to aldose reductase inhibition.

Topics: Aldehyde Reductase; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; Animals; Blood Pressure; Captopril; Eucommiaceae; Lignans; Male; Plant Bark; Plant Extracts; Rats; Rats, Inbred SHR; Rats, Inbred WKY; Rhodanine; Thiazolidines; Ventricular Remodeling

To investigate the effects of lignans extracted from Eucommia ulmoides and epalrestat on vascular remodeling in spontaneously hypertensive rats.. Ten-week-old male spontaneously hypertensive rats were randomly divided into 3 groups (12 rats each group), and treated orally with 100 mg/kg/d of captopril (an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor), 100 mg/kg/d of epalrestat (an aldose reductase inhibitor) and 300 mg/kg/d of lignans by gavage daily for 16 weeks, respectively. Sex-, age-, and number-matched spontaneously hypertensive rats and normotensive Wistar Kyoto rats, were treated with distilled water (vehicle) as controls. The rats were weighed weekly. Mean arterial blood pressure and heart rate were measured periodically by non-invasive blood pressure monitoring. They were sacrificed at the end of experiment (26-week-old). Superior mesenteric artery and aorta were isolated for determination of histomorphometry and the expression of aldose reductase by immunohistochemistry.. Captopril and lignans, but not epalrestat, decreased mean arterial blood pressure in spontaneously hypertensive rats. Vascular remodeling was improved in all three treated groups by histomorphometry.. Both lignans and epalrestat reversed hypertensive vascular remodeling. Aldose reductase played a vital role in the pathologic process of hypertensive vascular remodeling rather than elevation of blood pressure. These data suggested that aldose reductase could be a new therapeutic target for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases.

Topics: Aldehyde Reductase; Animals; Aorta; Blood Pressure; Captopril; Drugs, Chinese Herbal; Enzyme Inhibitors; Eucommiaceae; Female; Heart Rate; Hypertension; Lignans; Male; Mesenteric Artery, Superior; Plant Bark; Random Allocation; Rats; Rats, Inbred SHR; Rats, Wistar; Rhodanine; Thiazolidines