Abstract

ATTENUATION OF EXPERIMENTAL PULMONARY HYPERTENSION BY GRAPE SEED EXTRACT AND PUNARNAVA EXTRACT

Rajvinder Kaur*, Jhilika Singh, A. N. Kalia and Saurabh Sharma

Abstract

Ethnopharmacological relevance: Proliferation of pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells, endothelial dysfunction, oxidative stress and inflammation promotes the development of pulmonary hypertension. Grape seed extract (GSE) is processed from the seeds of the grapes Vitis Vinifera L. It has shown to have antioxidant and vasodilating effects, but its effects on pulmonary arteries remain poorly defined. Punarnava extract is processed from the herb Boerhaavia Diffusa. It has been well reported that extract of Boerhaavia Diffusa, a plant used in Indian traditional medicine, has significant immunomodulatory potential. The present study was undertaken to investigate the efficacy of GSE and PE to attenuate pulmonary hypertension. Material and method: Rats injected with monocrotaline (60mg/kg., s.c, once in 4 weeks) progressively developed pulmonary hypertension. Pulmonary hypertension was assessed in terms of attenuation of acetylcholine-induced endothelium-dependent relaxation; Sodium nitroprusside induced endothelium independent vasorelaxation (Isolated pulmonary artery ring preparation), decrease in serum nitrate/nitrite level, and increased oxidative stress (SO2- and TBARS level), right ventricular systolic pressure and right ventricular hypertrophy. Pulmonary artery medial hypertrophy was assessed using H and E staininig. Results: Treatment with GSE and PE attenuated right ventricular systolic pressure, right ventricular hypertrophy, pulmonary artery medial hypertrophy, decreased oxidative stress and increases acetylcholine induced endothelium dependent relaxation, serum nitrate/nitrite level and mRNA expression of eNOS. Conclusion: Thus it may be concluded that GSE and PE ameliorates pulmonary vascular endothelium dysfunction and pulmonary hypertension possibly by increasing the eNOS activity and expression.

Keywords: Pulmonary Vascular endothelium dysfunction, endothelial nitric oxide synthatase (eNOS), Nitric oxide.