Scolopendra Herba is one of the popular drugs to treat low back pain, wind-stroke syndrome, mass in the abdomen in oriental medical clinic that has the effects of calming the endopathic wind, removing blood stasis and lumps, tranquilizing to relieve muscle spasm. In the study, I observed the antihypertensive effects of the water extracts from the scolopendra.
In p.o. administration to conscious restrained SHRs, measurement of blood pressure by tail-cuff method indicated that 1.2g/㎏ of the extract has lowered the blood pressure. The percent change of maximal hypotensive effect was 6.9±1.8% at 2 hrs after oral adminstration. To study on the antihypertensive mechanism of this extract, we observed about the direct vascular dilating effect, and the direct vascular dilating effect, and the inhibitory effects on the ACE (Angiotensin Converting Enzyme) activity. There was no effects on direct vascular cilating effects of the isolated aorta of rabbit after contraction induced by phenylephrine(2.0㎍/㎖). But, 1×10 exp (-1)g/㎖ of this extract has inhibited 67.1% of ACE activity in vitro.
According to above results, I concluded that there is a little antihypertensive effects in Scolopendra water extracts and this effects may acts through the inhibitory effects on ACE activity.
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