Effects of White Mulberry (Morus alba) Leaves on Blood Vessel Reactivity in Hyperchloesterolemic Rats
2013
Choi, S.H., Kunsan National University, Gunsan, Republic of Korea | Park, K.H., Kunsan National University, Gunsan, Republic of Korea
In atherosclerosis, blood vessels become sensitive to vessel-constricting agents leading to reduced control in the event of abrupt blood pressure changes. Mulberry trees (Morus alba L., MA) have been claimed to contain various bioactive principles that could possibly prevent atherosclerosis development caused by high cholesterol consumption. In order to examine whether MA feeding can prevent the sensitization of blood vessels, MA leaves were fed to rats for 8 weeks and pressor responses to vasoconstricting agents were assessed. Animals were pithed before blood pressure assessments to eliminate reflex compensation in vessel responses. Feeding diets containing high levels of cholesterol led to potentiated pressor responses to sympathetic nerve stimulation, or to injection of norepinephrine, phenylephrine, angiotensin II and vasopressin in pithed rats. These potentiated pressor responses were prevented in rats fed MA leaf-containing diets at 2 or 10% levels. It was also examined in anesthetized non-pithed rats whether similar cholestrol-related sensitization and MA prevention could be observed. However, high cholesterol-induced sensitization in pressor responses were not observed, suggesting that destruction of central cardiovascular control by pithing must have revealed the sensitization responses. It was concluded that MA leaves seem to be active in preventing abnormal blood vessel reactivity caused by hypercholesterolemia.
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