Effects of OYakSoonGi-San extract on Hypertension and Common Carotid Artery

오약순기산(烏藥順氣散)이 고혈압과 동맥혈관에 미치는 영향

Objectives : This experiments were performed to determine the effect of OYakSoonGi-San extract on hypertension in spontaneous hypertensive rat and norepinephrine-induced arterial contraction in rabbit. Methods : In order to define the effect of OYakSoonGi-San extract on contracted rabbit carotid arterial strips, transverse strips with intact or damaged endothelium were used for the experiment using organ bath. To analyze the mechanism of OYakSoonGi-San extract-induced relaxation, OYakSoonGi-San extract infused into contracted arterial strips induced by norepinephrine after treatment of indomethacin, $N{\omega}-nitro-L-arginine$, methylene blue or tetraethylammonium chloride. Results : Blood pressure was significantly decreased five days after administration of OYakSoonGi-San extract. The relaxation effect of OYakSoonGi-San extract was dependent on the presence of endothelium, showing that OYakSoonGi-San extract-induced relaxation was not observed in the strips without endothelium. Also OYakSoonGi-San extract-induced relaxation was significantly inhibited in arterial strips which were contracted by high $K^+$. OYakSoonGi-San extract-indeced relaxation was significantly inhibited by the pre-treatment of $N{\omega}-nitro-L-arginine$ or methylene blue, but it was not observed in the strips pre-treated with indomethacin or tetraethylammonium chloride. When additive application of $Ca^{2+}$ in arterial strips which were pre-contracted by norepinephrine in a $Ca^{2+}$-free solution, arterial contraction was increased. But contractile response to $Ca^{2+}$ was attenuated by pre-treatment of OYakSoonGi-San extract. Conclusions : These results demonstrated that OYakSoonGi-San could be applied effectively to hypertension and may inhibit agonist-induced contraction through an decrease influx of extra-cellular $Ca^{2+}$ by the formation of nitric oxide in the vascular endothelial cells.