Table 1.
Vasodilatory effects of acetylcholine, sodium nitroprusside, carbon monoxide-releasing molecule and pinacidil in the thoracic arteries of experimental rats supplemented with dandelion leaf and petal fractions.
| Drug | Control | Leaf Fraction | Petal Fraction | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emax (%) | pEC50 | Emax (%) | pEC50 | Emax (%) | pEC50 | |
| ACh | 73 ± 5 | 7.21 ± 0.19 | 85 ± 4 a,b | 7.18 ± 0.10 | 74 ± 3 | 7.17 ± 0.08 |
| +Indomethacin | 71 ± 3 | 6.97 ± 0.07 | 80 ± 6 | 6.70 ± 0.04 * | 70 ± 8 | 6.83 ± 0.17 |
| +l-NAME | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| SNP | 98 ± 6 | 7.45 ± 0.18 | 101 ± 2 | 7.52 ± 0.27 | 94 ± 8 | 7.63 ± 0.27 |
| CORM-2 | 87 ± 15 | 4.91 ± 0.18 | 67 ± 13 | 4.88 ± 0.19 | 72 ± 25 | 4.93 ± 0.33 |
| Pinacidil | 90 ± 6 | 6.27 ± 0.30 | 90 ± 2 | 6.72 ± 0.24 a,b | 88 ± 6 | 6.26 ± 0.41 |
Acetylcholine-induced vasodilation was analyzed in the absence and presence of the NO synthase inhibitor l-NAME (100 μmol/L, 30 min) and the nonspecific COX inhibitor indomethacin (10 μmol/L, 30 min). Results are expressed as mean ± SEM, n = 6. p ≤ 0.05 (two-way ANOVA with Tukey’s multiple comparisons test). a vs. control rats not supplemented with dandelion. b vs. rats supplemented with petal fraction. * vs. control conditions (comparison with acetylcholine). Abbreviations: ACh, acetylcholine chloride; CORM-2, CO-releasing molecule; COX, cyclooxygenase; NO, nitric oxide and SNP, sodium nitroprusside.