Key result
Qingda Granules and active compounds lower blood pressure and arterial stiffness in hypertensive mice.
Why the study?
Qingda Granule is a traditional Chinese medicine formula used to treat hypertension, but its active compounds and mechanisms of action remain poorly understood.
Does oral administration of Qingda Granules or its active compounds (gastrodin, rhynchophylline, baicalin, liensinine) attenuate blood pressure elevation and vascular remodeling in mice with Angiotensin II-induced hypertension?
Does oral administration of Qingda Granules or its active compounds (gastrodin, rhynchophylline, baicalin, liensinine) attenuate blood pressure elevation and vascular remodeling in mice with Angiotensin II-induced hypertension?
Preclinical and network pharmacology evidence indicates that Qingda Granules and four of its constituent compounds (gastrodin, rhynchophylline, baicalin, liensinine) attenuate Ang II-induced hypertension, arterial stiffness, and vascular remodeling in mice, potentially via inhibition of myosin light chain phosphorylation and vascular smooth muscle contraction.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
May warrant human trials of Qingda Granule compounds; leaves open clinical translation from mouse models.
Background and objectives Hypertension is a significant global health issue that raises the risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Qingda Granule (QDG) is a traditional Chinese medicine formula used to treat hypertension, but its active compounds and mechanisms of action remain poorly understood. Methods Network pharmacology identified potential active compounds and KEGG pathways. Four compounds-gastrodin, rhynchophylline, baicalin, and liensinine were selected. Hypertension was induced in mice via Angiotensin II (Ang II) infusion. QDG (1145 mg/kg/day) or each compound (10 mg/kg/day) was administered orally once daily. Outcomes measured included systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), mean arterial pressure (MAP), pulse wave velocity (PWV), and abdominal aortic wall thickness. Histological examination and immunohistochemistry for expression of total myosin light chain (MLC) and phosphorylation of myosin light chain (p-MLC) were performed in exploratory subgroups of three mice per group. Results Network pharmacology analysis identified 482 predicted targets overlapping with hypertension-related targets. The compound-target network was constructed and analyzed, and hub nodes were identified using multiple parameters, such as betweenness centrality and degree. These four selected compounds-gastrodin, rhynchophylline, baicalin, and liensinine-ranked among the top 50 nodes in the compound-target network. Consequently, these four compounds were selected for further validation. KEGG enrichment analysis identified vascular smooth muscle contraction as an enriched candidate pathway (18 targets). In vivo , QDG and all four compounds treatment significantly lowered blood pressure, lowered PWV, and reduced abdominal aortic wall thickness. Exploratory subgroup analyses showed attenuated aortic histopathological changes and reduced p-MLC immunoreactivity, with no significant difference in total MLC immunoreactivity in abdominal aortic tissues of Ang II-infused mice. Conclusion QDG and its four individually administered compounds attenuated blood pressure elevation and were associated with lower PWV and reduced abdominal aortic wall thickening in Ang II-infused mice, as well as reduced p-MLC immunoreactivity. These findings suggest that the QDG and its four compounds contribute to antihypertensive effects.
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Zhang et al. (2026) studied Angiotensin II-induced hypertension in mice. Qingda Granules (QDG) or active compounds (gastrodin, rhynchophylline, baicalin, liensinine) vs. Untreated Angiotensin II-infused mice was evaluated on Systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), mean arterial pressure (MAP), pulse wave velocity (PWV), and abdominal aortic wall thickness. Qingda Granules (1145 mg/kg/day) and 4 active compounds (10 mg/kg/day) significantly lowered BP, PWV, and aortic wall thickness in Ang II-infused mice, targeting 482 hypertension-related targets.
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