Abstract
Echinodorus grandiflorus is a semiaquatic plant native to Brazil and belongs to the Alismataceae family. Infusion
preparations of the leaves of this plant are often used due to its diuretic, blood
pressure lowering, and anti-inflammatory properties. Our aim was to investigate the
effects of chronic treatment with the crude hydroalcoholic extract of E. grandiflorus on central and peripheral microvascular changes induced in a model of hypertension
and diabetes. The hemodynamic and microvascular effects of E. grandiflorus extract (50, 100, or 200 mg/kg/day for 28 days) or the isolated major diterpene from
E. grandiflorus (3 to 10 mg/kg i. v.) were evaluated in spontaneously hypertensive rats using tail
plethysmography and intravital fluorescence videomicroscopy, respectively, and were
compared to vehicle-treated normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats. We also investigated the
protective effects of chronic treatment with E. grandiflorus (100 mg/kg/day) in brain capillary density and leukocyte-endothelium interactions
on the brain vessels of DM-spontaneously (DM: diabetes mellitus) hypertensive rats.
Chronically treating spontaneously hypertensive rats with increasing doses of crude
hydroalcoholic E. grandiflorus extract resulted in significant dose-dependent reductions in systolic blood pressure
and an anti-inflammatory effect on the brain microcirculation of DM-spontaneously
hypertensive rat animals. Using laser speckle contrast imaging, we observed that intravenous
administration of the major isolated clerodane diterpene metabolite (1 – 10 mg/kg)
increased microvascular blood flow by 25% in spontaneously hypertensive rat skeletal
muscle. The results of this study show that E. grandiflorus extracts can be useful in the prevention and reduction of microcirculatory damage
in arterial hypertension and other diseases that involve microvascular dysfunction.
Key words
capillary rarefaction - microvascular dysfunction - intravital microscopy - hypertension
-
Echinodorus grandifloras
- Alismataceae
