Mr. Rhyu et al., Nitric oxide-mediated endothelium-dependent relaxation of rat thoracic aorta induced by aqueous extract of red rice fermented with Monascus ruber, J ETHNOPHAR, 70(1), 2000, pp. 29-34
Vasodilatory effects of aqueous extract of red rice fermented with Monascus
ruber IFO32318 were examined on the isolated rat aorta. The water phase of
fermented rice with Monascus (WP/FRM, 0.1-10 mg/ml) caused a transient rel
axation of the endothelium-intact rat aorta precontracted with norepinephri
ne (NE, 300 nM). The WP/FRM-induced relaxation was abolished by removal of
endothelium or in the presence of NG-nitro-L-arginine (L-NNA, 10 I-IM), a n
itric oxide (NO) synthase inhibitor. Neither atropine, a muscarinic recepto
r antagonist (10 mu M), nor indomethacin, a cyclooxygenase inhibitor (10 mu
M), altered the WP/FRM-induced endothelium-dependent relaxation. gamma-Ami
nobutyric acid (GABA), one of the principle components of the extract, did
not affect the muscle tension of the aorta with intact endothelium. In addi
tion, WP/FRM increased the production of NO in primary cultured endothelial
cells from human umbilical vein. The enhanced production of NO by WP/FRM w
as diminished by pretreatment with L-NNA (10 mu M). In conclusion, WP/FRM i
nduces relaxation of rat aorta by releasing NO from endothelium. There seem
to be some unknown factor(s) other than acetylcholine (Ach) and GABA, in t
he aqueous extract of red rice, which stimulate vascular endothelial cells
to produce and/or release NO leading to endothelium-dependent relaxation by
WP/FRM. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.