Chuen-Chao Shi1, Jyh-Fei Liao1,* and Chieh-Fu Chen1,2
1Department and Institute of Pharmacology, National Yang-Ming
University, Taipei 112, Taiwan
2National Research Institute of Chinese Medicine, Taipei 112,
Taiwan
*Corresponding author. FAX: +886-2-28264372
E-mail: jfliao@ym.edu.tw
Abstract: Three psychological active principles from the seeds of
Peganum harmala L., harmine, harmaline and harmalol, showed vasorelaxant
activities in isolated rat thoracic aorta preparations precontracted by
phenylephrine or KCl with rank order of relaxation potency of harmine>harmaline>harmalol.
The vasorelaxant effects of harmine and harmaline (but not harmalol) were
attenuated by endothelium removal or pretreatment with a nitric oxide (NO)
synthase Nw-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester. In cultured rat aortic endothelial
cells, harmine and harmaline (but not harmalol) increased NO release, which
was dependent on the presence of external Ca2+. In endothelium-denuded
preparations, pretreatment of harmine, harmaline or harmalol (3-30 mM)
inhibited phenylephrine-induced contractions in a non-competitive manner.
Receptor binding assays indicated that all 3 compounds interacted with cardiac
a1-adrenoceptors with comparable affinities
(Ki value around 31-36 mM), but only
harmine weakly interacted with the cardiac 1,4-dihydropyridine binding site
of L-type Ca2+ channels (Ki value of 408 mM).
Therefore, the present results suggested that the vasorelaxant effects of
harmine and harmaline are attributed to their actions on the endothelial
cells to release NO and on the vascular smooth muscles to inhibit the contractions
induced by the activation of receptor-linked and voltage-dependent Ca2+
channels. The vasorelaxant effect of harmalol was not endothelium-dependent.
Keywords: Harmine, Harmaline, Harmalol, Vasorelaxant, Nitric oxide
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