Log on / register
BioMed Central home | Journals A-Z | Feedback | Support | My details
Open AccessResearch

In vitro vasorelaxation mechanisms of bioactive compounds extracted from Hibiscus sabdariffa on rat thoracic aorta

Mamadou Sarr1,2 email, Saliou Ngom3 email, Modou O Kane1 email, Alassane Wele4 email, Doudou Diop5 email, Bocar Sarr1 email, Lamine Gueye2,6 email, Ramaroson Andriantsitohaina7 email and Aminata S Diallo1 email

Laboratoire de Physiologie Pharmaceutique, Faculté de Médecine, Pharmacie et Odontologie, Université Cheikh Anta Diop, Dakar, Sénégal

Unité Mixte Internationale (UMI 3189 - Environnement, Santé et Sociétés), Université Cheikh Anta Diop, Dakar, Sénégal

Laboratoire de Pharmacognosie et Molécules Naturelles Bioactives, Faculté de Pharmacie, Université Louis Pasteur, Strasbourg, France

Laboratoire de Chimie Thérapeutique, Faculté de Médecine, Pharmacie et Odontologie, Université Cheikh Anta Diop, Dakar, Sénégal

Laboratoire de Botanique, Institut Fondamental d'Afrique Noire, Université Cheikh Anta Diop, Dakar, Sénégal

Laboratoire de Physiologie Médicale, Faculté de Médecine, Pharmacie et Odontologie, Université Cheikh Anta Diop, Dakar, Sénégal

Biologie Neuro-Vasculaire Intégrée, UMR-CNRS 6214, INSERM 771, Faculté de Médecine, Université d'Angers, Angers, France

author email corresponding author email

Nutrition & Metabolism 2009, 6:45doi:10.1186/1743-7075-6-45

Published: 2 November 2009

Abstract

Background

In this study, we suggested characterizing the vasodilator effects and the phytochemical characteristics of a plant with food usage also used in traditional treatment of arterial high blood pressure in Senegal.

Methods

Vascular effects of crude extract of dried and powdered calyces of Hibiscus sabdariffa were evaluated on isolated thoracic aorta of male Wistar rats on organ chambers. The crude extract was also enriched by liquid-liquid extraction. The various cyclohexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, butanol extracts obtained as well as the residual marc were subjected to Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography. The different methanolic eluate fractions were then analyzed by Thin Layer (TLC) and High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and their vascular effects also evaluated.

Results

The H. Sabdariffa crude extract induced mainly endothelium-dependent relaxant effects. The endothelium-dependent relaxations result from NOS activation and those who not dependent to endothelium from activation of smooth muscle potassium channels. The phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of phenolic acids in the ethyl acetate extract and anthocyans in the butanolic extract. The biological efficiency of the various studied extracts, in term of vasorelaxant capacity, showed that: Butanol extract > Crude extract > Residual marc > Ethyl acetate extract. These results suggest that the strong activity of the butanolic extract is essentially due to the presence of anthocyans found in its fractions 43-67.

Conclusion

These results demonstrate the vasodilator potential of hibiscus sabdariffa and contribute to his valuation as therapeutic alternative.


© 1999-2010 BioMed Central Ltd unless otherwise stated. Part of Springer Science+Business Media.