Affiliation:
1. Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, University of Ngaoundéré, P.O. Box 454, Ngaoundéré, Cameroon
2. Department of Animal Biology and Physiology, Laboratory of Animal Physiology, University of Yaoundé I, P.O. Box 812, Yaoundé, Cameroon
3. Institut Universitaire des Sciences et Techniques d’Abéché (IUSTA), P.O. Box 6077, N’Djamena, Chad
4. Department of Physiological Sciences and Biochemistry, FMBS, University of Ngaoundéré, Ngaoundéré, P.O. Box 454, Cameroon
Abstract
Background.Adansonia digitatais a plant used against cardiovascular disorders in African folk medicine. We assessed the effects of the aqueous extract of its stem bark on the development of hypertension in L-NAME-induced hypertensive rats.Methods. The animals were administered L-NAME once daily for 3 weeks (25 mg/kg, i.p.), concomitantly with aqueous extract ofA. digitatastem bark (100 and 200 mg/kg, p.o.) or captopril (20 mg/kg, p.o.). Then, hemodynamic and electrocardiographic parameters, oxidative stress markers, and the lipid profile were assessed in the blood and heart, aorta, and kidney homogenates, and histopathological analyses were performed.Results. L-NAME-induced hypertensive control animals, but not the animals concomitantly treated withA. digitataextract, displayed increases in the mean arterial blood pressure (21.64% difference,p<0.001, vs. dose 200 mg/kg), systolic arterial blood pressure (21.33%,p<0.001), and the diastolic arterial blood pressure (21.84%,p<0.001). In addition, hypertensive control animals displayed (i) increases in serum triglycerides, total cholesterol, LDL, and creatinine levels, malondialdehyde and transaminase activities, and atherogenic index; (ii) decreases in serum HDL, catalase, reduced glutathione, and nitric oxide; and (iii) aorta wall thickening, inflammatory cell infiltration, and cell loss in the cardiac muscle and renal tissues. As captopril, the extract prevented hypertension-like changes in lipid profile, cardiac, hepatic, and renal affection indicators, and oxidative stress markers.Conclusion. Our findings suggest that the extract ofA. digitatahas antihypertensive and antioxidant effects in L-NAME-induced hypertension rat models. These effects partly justify the traditional medicine use against cardiovascular disorders.
Subject
Complementary and alternative medicine