Effect and mechanism of puerarin on high glucose-induced hypo-responses in vascular contraction / 中国应用生理学杂志

ABSTRACT

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To examine the effect of puerarin on high glucose-induced decrease in contraction of isolated rat aortic rings, and to elucidate its underlying mechanism.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The thoracic aortic rings with or without endothelium of male Sprague-Dawley rats were mounted on a bath system. Isometric contractions of aortic rings were measured. The activity of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) was also measured.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>(1) After incubation with 44 mmol/L of glucose (high glucose) for 4 h, the vascular contraction responses to phenylephrine (PE) decreased in an endothelium-dependent manner, when compared with the control group (containing 11 mmol/L of glucose). (2) After coincubation with puerarin ( 10(-10) - 10(-8) mol/L) and high glucose, the decrease in contraction responses to PE of arteries was partly inhibited in a dose-dependent manner. (3) After incubation with puerarin for 4 h, the HO-1 activity of thoracic aorta increased; ZnPP, an inhibitor of HO-1, abrogated the protection effect of puerarin.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Puerarin could prevent the high glucose-induced decrease in contraction responses to PE in intact aortic rings. The mechanism might be involved in the activation of HO-1.</p>