Shengmai Suppressed Vascular Tension In Umbilical Arteries And Veins Of Human And Sheep

Objective Shengmai is a traditional herbal medicine consisting of at least three major components, Panax Ginseng, Ophiopogon Japonicus, and Schisandra Chinensis, Several antioxidant ingredients have been discovered, including Ginseoside Rb1, Ginseoside Rg1, and Ginseoside Re from Panax Ginseng and schizandrin from Schisandra, Shengmai has been used to treat against cardiovascular diseases. The umbilical cord is a critical pathway between mothers and fetuses, and regulations of umbilical vessel tension are important for fetal growth. However, effects of Shengmai on human blood vessels and related pharmacological mechanisms are unclear.Methods This study investigated the vessel actionand related mechanisms of Shengmai and the key compounds of Shengmai on human and sheep umbilical arteries and veins using organ bath systems.Results Shengmai significantly suppressed phenylephrine-stimulated vasoconstriction in umbilical arteries and veins. NG-Nitro-L-arginine Methyl Ester had no influence on the Shengmai-suppressed vasoconstriction in human and sheep umbilical vessels. Among four key compounds of Shengmai, Ginsenoside Re, Ginsenoside Rb1, Ginsenoside Rg1, and Schisandrin, only Ginsenoside Re showed the significant effect in the umbilical vessels similar to Shengmai. In Ca2+-free solution, Ginsenoside Re could not induce vasoconstriction. In addition, caffeine-or phenylephrine-stimulated vasoconstriction were not changed by Ginsenoside Re. Either charybdotoxin or glibenclamide could inhibit Ginsenoside Re-mediated vasodilation in both human and sheep umbilical vessels, but 4-aminopyridine did not show the similar inhibitory effect.Conclusions The results provide new information on Shengmai’s effects and underlying mechanisms in umbilical vessels. Importantly, the information gained offers interesting potential for developing new drugs acting on umbilical cords for fetal medicine.