Open AccessHonokiol, an active compound of Magnolia officinalis, is involved in restoring normal baroreflex sensitivity in hypercholesterolemic rabbits
Author(s) -
Chou PeiYu,
Chang WengCheng,
Liu FonChang,
Lan ShouJen,
Sheu MingJyh,
Chen JwoSheng
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
food science and nutrition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.614
H-Index - 27
ISSN - 2048-7177
DOI - 10.1002/fsn3.1395
Subject(s) - honokiol , magnolia officinalis , cholesterol , medicine , chemistry , pharmacology , endocrinology , biology , traditional chinese medicine , pathology , alternative medicine
This study investigated the effects of methanol extract Magnolia officinalis (MEMO) on baroreceptor reflex sensitivity (BRS) in the hypercholesterolemic rabbits and the involved molecular mechanisms. Male New Zealand white rabbits were randomly divided into Control (normal diet), Cholesterol (0.5% w/w cholesterol diet), and Magnolia groups (0.5% w/w cholesterol diet plus 1% w/w MEMO). The animals were treated with the designated diet for 4 or 8 weeks. BRS in the control of heart rate was assessed by linear regression method. After 8 weeks of treatments, plasma total cholesterol (TC) was significantly elevated in the Cholesterol/Magnolia groups. The arterial blood pressure (aBP) was increased in the Cholesterol and Magnolia groups. The depression of BRS observed in the Cholesterol group was significantly ameliorated in the Magnolia group. After L‐NAME ( Nω ‐nitro‐Larginine methyl ester, 20 mg/kg, iv ), the BRS of the Cholesterol group was significantly improved. Results from our in vitro study further indicated that honokiol, the principle component of MEMO, would protect human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) from H 2 O 2 ‐induced damages and inhibit H 2 O 2 ‐induced vascular smooth muscles cells (VSMCs) proliferation, which was evident by the decreased expression of pFAK, and p‐Erk1/2. The results of the present study suggested that the improvement of BRS by MEMO in the hypercholesterolemic rabbits might be mediated by the antioxidant property of MEMO as indicated by the results from the L‐NAME and in vitro honokiol studies.