الفهرس 
Study of the possible cardiovascular protective effects of certain biologically active natural products on experimentally induced hypertension in rats
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Abstract
Introduction: Hypertension is one of the most important factors associated with development of other cardiovascular diseases. Oxidative stress and endothelial dysfunction, that result from nitric oxide (NO) deficiency, are among the important characteristics for human essential hypertension. Increased intake of diets rich in polyphenols could be valuable to ameliorate this condition. The aim of this study, was to investigate the effect of curcumin (CUR) and ellagic acid (EA) on systolic blood pressure (SBP), oxidative stress, and vascular reactivity in N}-Nitro-L-arginine methyl ester hydrochloride (L-NAME)-induced hypertensive (LNH) rats. Methods: Male albino Wistar rats (120-140 g) daily received L-NAME 50 mg/kg for 4 weeks and then, allocated randomly into 5 groups (LNH-control, LNH+CUR (100 mg/kg), LNH+EA (7.5, 15, and 30mg/kg). Rats were received these treatment for further 4 weeks along with L-NAME. A normal control group was run concomitantly. Measurement of SBP was carried out for each animal every week non-invasively through a tail cuff method. By the end of the experimental period, animals were sacrificed and sera were separated for estimation of total protein thiols (Pr-SHs), malondialdehyde (MDA) and nitrate/nitrite level (NOx), as well as, erythrocytes were isolated for determining glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity. Moreover, thoracic aortae were dissected to test the vascular reactivity towards norepinephrine (NE) as a vasoconstrictor, as well as, acetylcholine (Ach) and sodium nitroprosside (SNP) as endothelium-dependent and -independent vasodilators, respectively