MATERIALS AND METHODS: Tincture of the roots was concentrated to dryness by evaporating the ethanol in vacuo. This ethanolic extract was partitioned into 5 fractions sequentially with hexane, dichloromethane (DCM), ethyl acetate, butanol, and water. The corpus cavernosum relaxant activity of each fraction was investigated. The DCM fraction which showed the highest potency in relaxing phenylephrine-precontracted corpora cavernosa was purified by column chromatography. The effects of the most potent DCM subfraction in relaxing phenylephrine-precontracted corpora cavernosa, DCM-I, on angiotensin I- or angiotensin II-induced contractions in corpora cavernosa were investigated. The effects of DCM-I pretreatment on the responses of phenylephrine-precontracted corpora cavernosa to angiotensin II or bradykinin were also studied. An in vitro assay was conducted to evaluate the effect of DCM-I on angiotensin-converting enzyme activity.
RESULTS: Fraction DCM-I decreased the maximal contractions (100%) evoked by angiotensin I and angiotensin II to 30 ± 14% and 26 ± 16% (p < 0.001), respectively. In phenylephrine-precontracted corpora cavernosa, DCM-I pretreatment caused angiotensin II to induce 82 ± 27% relaxation of maximal contraction (p < 0.01) and enhanced (p < 0.001) bradykinin-induced relaxations from 47 ± 8% to 100 ± 5%. In vitro, DCM-I was able to reduce (p < 0.001) the maximal angiotensin-converting enzyme activity to 78 ± 0.24%.
CONCLUSION: Fraction DCM-I was able to antagonize angiotensin II-induced contraction to cause corpus cavernosum relaxation via inhibition of angiotensin II type 1 receptor and enhance bradykinin-induced relaxation through inhibition of angiotensin-converting enzyme.
METHODS: From the Malaysian National Neurology Registry, we included hypertensive patients with first ischemic stroke who presented within 48 hours from ictus. Antihypertensive drugs were divided into Ang II increasers (angiotensin-I receptor blockers (ARBs), calcium channel blockers (CCBs) and diuretics) and Ang II suppressors (angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) and beta blockers). We evaluated stroke severity during admission with the National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS). We performed a multivariable logistic regression with the score being dichotomized at 15. Scores of less than 15 were categorized as less severe stroke.
RESULTS: A total of 710 patients were included. ACEIs was the most commonly prescribed antihypertensive drug in patients using Ang II suppressors (74%) and CCBs, in patients prescribed with Ang II increasers at 77%. There was no significant difference in the severity of ischemic stroke between patients who were using Ang II increasers in comparison to patients with Ang II suppressors (OR: 1.32, 95%CI: 0.83-2.10, p = 0.24).
CONCLUSION: In our study, we found that use of antihypertensive drugs that increase Ang II formation was not associated with less severe ischemic stroke as compared to use of antihypertensive drugs that suppress Ang II formation.