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Planta Med 1996; 62(5): 436-439
DOI: 10.1055/s-2006-957934
Paper

© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York

Endothelium-Dependent Vasodilator Effect of Extract Prepared from the Roots of Paeonia lactiflora on Isolated Rat Aorta

Hirozo Goto1 , Yutaka Shimada1 , Yoko Akechi1 , Kazufumi Kohta2 , Masao Hattori3 , Katsutoshi Terasawa1
  • 1Department of Japanese Oriental Medicine, Toyama Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Sugitani 2630, Toyama 930-01, Japan
  • 2Department of Japanese Oriental Medicine, Iizuka Hospital, 3-83 Yoshio-cho, Iizuka-shi, Fukuoka 820, Japan
  • 3Research Institute for Wakan-Yaku, Toyama Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Sugitani 2630, Toyama 930-01, Japan
Further Information

Publication History

1995

1996

Publication Date:
04 January 2007 (online)

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Abstract

Paeoniae Radix (the roots of Paeonia lactiflora Pallas) is a crude drug that is used in Asia and Europe to improve blood flow. We studied its vasodilator effect and mechanisms of action in vitro. The extract from Paeoniae Radix (PRE) relaxed prostaglandin F2a-precontracted aortic ring preparations of isolated rat aorta that contained endothelium. Relaxation by PRE did not occur in specimens without endothelium, and was inhibited by pre-treatment with 10-4M NG-nitro-1-arginine methyl ester.

Paeoniflorin and paeonol, the main activecomponents of Paeoniae Radix, lacked a vasodilator effect. The effect of the component gallotannin was examined after treating PRE with tannase, but the product lacked a vasodilator effect. Pentagalloylglucose, hexagalloylglucose, heptagalloylglucose, and octagalloylglucose were extracted from PRE; they relaxed aortic rings with endothelium, but failed to relax aortic rings without endothelium. We conclude that PRE exhibits an endothelium-dependent vasodilator effect on isolated rat aorta. The active component is gallotannin.

Key words

Paeoniae Radix - Paeonia lactiflora Pallas - Paeoniaceae - gallotannin - galloylglucose - endothelium-dependent relaxing factor - nitric oxide - rat aorta

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