Effects of oleuropein in rats with simultaneous type 2 diabetes and renal hypertension: a study of antihypertensive mechanisms

Abstract

The mechanism of oleuropein's antihypertensive effects was examined in rat model of simultaneous type 2 diabetes and renal hypertension (diabetic hypertensive). Five groups of male Sprague-Dawley rats including a control, a diabetic-hypertensive group receiving vehicle, and three diabetic-hypertensive groups receiving oleuropein at 20, 40, or 60 mg/kg/day were used. The duration of diabetes was 10 weeks; during the last 4 weeks of which, animals were hypertensive and received vehicle or oleuropein. Systolic blood pressure, glucose and malondialdehyde, heart rate, and maximal response to phenylephrine (PE) in the absence of nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (l-NAME) of oleuropein-treated groups were significantly lower than those of vehicle-treated group. Erythrocyte superoxide dismutase, maximal response to PE in the presence of l-NAME, and maximal response to acetylcholine (Ach) of oleuropein-treated groups were significantly higher than those of vehicle-treated group. The findings indicate that antihypertensive effects of oleuropein might be partly mediated by improving the release of nitric oxide, and antioxidant and sympathoplegic activities.

Keywords::

• diabetic hypertensive
• oleuropein
• vascular function

Acknowledgments

This study was supported by Vice Presidency in Research, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. This paper is an extract from Azadeh Khalili's Ph.D. thesis. The authors declare no conflict of interest, financial or otherwise, with regard to this paper.