Arctium lappa ameliorates endothelial dysfunction in rats fed with high fat/cholesterol diets

• Published in: BMC complementary and alternative medicine Vol. 12; no. 1; p. 116
• Main Authors: Lee, Yun Jung, Choi, Deok Ho, Cho, Guk Hyun, Kim, Jin Sook, Kang, Dae Gill, Lee, Ho Sub
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 06.08.2012; BioMed Central; BMC
• Subjects: Acetylcholine; Analysis; Animals; Anticholesteremic Agents - pharmacology; Anticholesteremic Agents - therapeutic use; Aorta - drug effects; Arctium; Arctium lappa; Atherosclerosis; Blood pressure; Blood Pressure - drug effects; Blood vessels; Burdock; Cell adhesion & migration; Cell Adhesion Molecules - metabolism; Cholesterol; Coronary vessels; Diet; Diet, High-Fat - adverse effects; Dietary Fats - adverse effects; Dietary Fats - blood; Dietary Supplements; Dilatation; E-Selectin - metabolism; Endothelium; Endothelium, Vascular - drug effects; Endothelium, Vascular - metabolism; Endothelium, Vascular - pathology; Endothelium, Vascular - physiopathology; Ethanol; Hepatitis; Hyperlipidemia; Hypertension; Inflammation; Inflammation - etiology; Inflammation - metabolism; Inflammation - pathology; Inflammation - prevention & control; Inflammation Mediators - metabolism; Laboratory animals; Lipids - blood; Lipoproteins; Male; Materia medica, Vegetable; Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 - metabolism; Medical research; Medicinal plants; Medicine; Medicine, Botanic; Medicine, Experimental; Medicine, Herbal; Phytotherapy; Plant extracts; Plant Extracts - pharmacology; Plant Extracts - therapeutic use; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Rodents; Seeds; Studies; Triglycerides; Up-Regulation; Vascular Diseases - etiology; Vascular Diseases - metabolism; Vascular Diseases - pathology; Vascular Diseases - prevention & control; Vasodilation - drug effects; Vasorelaxation; Japan
• ISSN: 1472-6882; 1472-6882
• DOI: 10.1186/1472-6882-12-116

Arctium lappa L. (Asteraceae), burdock, is a medicinal plant that is popularly used for treating hypertension, gout, hepatitis, and other inflammatory disorders. This study was performed to test the effect of ethanol extract of Arctium lappa L. (EAL) seeds on vascular reactivity and inflammatory factors in rats fed a high fat/cholesterol diet (HFCD). EAL-I (100 mg·kg-1/day), EAL-II (200 mg·kg-1/day), and fluvastatin (3 mg·kg-1/day) groups initially received HFCD alone for 8 weeks, with EAL supplementation provided during the final 6 weeks. Treatment with low or high doses of EAL markedly attenuated plasma levels of triglycerides and augmented plasma levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) in HFCD-fed rats. Chronic treatment with EAL markedly reduced impairments of acetylcholine (ACh)-induced relaxation of aortic rings. Furthermore, chronic treatment with EAL significantly lowered systolic blood pressure (SBP) and maintained smooth and flexible intimal endothelial layers in HFCD-fed rats. Chronic treatment with EAL suppressed upregulation of intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM)-1, vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM)-1, and E-selectin in the aorta. Chronic treatment with EAL also suppressed increases in matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 expression. These results suggested that EAL can inhibit HFCD-induced vascular inflammation in the rat model. The present study provides evidence that EAL ameliorates HFCD-induced vascular dysfunction through protection of vascular relaxation and suppression of vascular inflammation.