The ent-15α-Acetoxykaur-16-en-19-oic Acid Relaxes Rat Artery Mesenteric Superior via Endothelium-Dependent and Endothelium-Independent Mechanisms

• Main Authors: Êurica Adélia Nogueira Ribeiro, Edla de Azevedo Herculano, Cintia Danieli Ferreira da Costa, Fabiola Fialho Furtado, Emídio Vasconcelos Leitão da-Cunha, José Maria Barbosa-Filho, Marcelo Sobral da Silva, Isac Almeida de Medeiros
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hindawi Limited 2012-01-01
• Series: Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/472821
• ISSN: 1741-427X; 1741-4288

The objective of the study was to investigate the mechanism of the relaxant activity of the ent-15α-acetoxykaur-16-en-19-oic acid (KA-acetoxy). In rat mesenteric artery rings, KA-acetoxy induced a concentration-dependent relaxation in vessels precontracted with phenylephrine. In the absence of endothelium, the vasorelaxation was significantly shifted to the right without reduction of the maximum effect. Endothelium-dependent relaxation was significantly attenuated by pretreatment with L-NAME, an inhibitor of the NO-synthase (NOS), indomethacin, an inhibitor of the cyclooxygenase, L-NAME + indomethacin, atropine, a nonselective antagonist of the muscarinic receptors, ODQ, selective inhibitor of the guanylyl cyclase enzyme, or hydroxocobalamin, a nitric oxide scavenger. The relaxation was completely reversed in the presence of L-NAME + 1 mM L-arginine or L-arginine, an NO precursor. Diterpene-induced relaxation was not affected by TEA, a nonselective inhibitor of K+ channels. The KA-acetoxy antagonized CaCl2-induced contractions in a concentration-dependent manner and also inhibited an 80 mM KCl-induced contraction. The KA-acetoxy did not interfere with Ca2+ release from intracellular stores. The vasorelaxant induced by KA-acetoxy seems to involve the inhibition of the Ca2+ influx and also, at least in part, by endothelial muscarinic receptors activation, NO and PGI2 release.