Taxifolin Reduces Blood Pressure via Improvement of Vascular Function and Mitigating the Vascular Inflammatory Response in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats

Figures

• 

  Figure 1. (a) NA-induced concentration–response curves of femoral arteries; (b) AUC of the NA-induced contractions of the femoral arteries of the CON and TAX groups. The results are the mean ± SEM. * p < 0.05 vs. CON. AUC, area under the curve; a.u., arbitrary units; NA, noradrenaline; CON, control group; TAX, taxifolin-treated group.

• 

  Figure 2. (a) ACh-induced concentration-response relaxation curves of femoral arteries; (b) AUC of ACh-induced relaxation of femoral arteries of the CON and TAX groups; (c) ACh-induced endothelium-dependent concentration-response contraction curves of femoral arteries; (d) AUC of ACh-induced endothelium-dependent contraction of femoral arteries of the CON and TAX groups. The results are the mean ± SEM. * p < 0.05 vs. CON. ACh, acetylcholine; EDC, endothelium-dependent contraction; AUC, area under the curve; a.u., arbitrary units; CON, control group; TAX, taxifolin-treated group.

• 

  Figure 3. (a) NA-induced concentration-response curves of thoracic aortas; (b) AUC of NA-induced concentration-response curves of thoracic aortas; (c) endothelium-dependent relaxation of acetylcholine-induced concentration–response curves and (d) AUC of acetylcholine-induced relaxation of thoracic aortas of the CON and TAX groups. The results are the mean ± SEM. AUC, area under the curve; a.u., arbitrary units; NA, noradrenaline; CON, control group; TAX, taxifolin-treated group.

• 

  Figure 4. (a) Total NOS activity; (b) production of superoxide in the tissue of abdominal aorta of the CON and TAX groups. The results are the mean ± SEM. * p < 0.05 vs. CON. NOS, nitric oxide synthase; RLU, relative luminescence units; CON, control group; TAX, taxifolin-treated group.

• 

  Figure 5. (a) Protein expression of eNOS; (b) protein expression of iNOS; (c) protein expression of COX2 in tissue of abdominal aorta of the CON and TAX groups. The results are the mean ± SEM. * p < 0.05 vs. CON. eNOS, endothelial nitric oxide synthase; iNOS, inducible nitric oxide synthase; COX2, cyclooxygenase-2; CON, control group; TAX, taxifolin-treated group.

• 

  Figure 6. (a) Gene expression of Nos3 in tissue of abdominal aorta; (b) gene expression of Nos2 in tissue of abdominal aorta; (c) gene expression of Ptgs2 in tissue of abdominal aorta; (d) gene expression of Tnf in tissue of abdominal aorta; (e) gene expression of Il10 in tissue of abdominal aorta of the CON and TAX groups. The results are the mean ± SEM. * p < 0.05 vs. CON. Nos3, endothelial nitric oxide synthase; Nos2, inducible nitric oxide synthase; Ptgs2, cyclooxygenase-2; Il10, interleukin 10; Tnf, tumor necrosis factor alpha; CON, control group; TAX, taxifolin-treated group.

• 

  Figure 7. (a) Taxifolin reduction of ABTS•+ reagent when taxifolin was dissolved in aqueous ethanol at final drug concentrations of 100 µmol/L (triangle), 50 µmol/L (square), and 25 µmol/L (circle); (b) reduction of ABTS•+ using HP-β-CD solution at a concentration of 100 µmol/L (open circle) and taxifolin dissolved in deionized water with the complexation agent HP-β-CD at final drug concentrations of 100 µmol/L (square), 50 µmol/L (triangle), and 25 µmol/L (circle); (c) time-dependent changes in the percentage of unscavenged DPP• reagent using taxifolin dissolved in ethanol at final drug concentrations of 100 µmol/L (triangle), 50 µmol/L (square), and 25 µmol/L (circle). The results are the mean ± SEM. ABTS•+, 2,2-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt; DPP•, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical; β-CD, 2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin.