Scientists find a plant complex that slows vascular aging in hypertension

What the researchers found

Scientists from the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences of Traditional Chinese Medicine tested an extract of three plants on rats with high blood pressure: ginseng (Panax ginseng), notoginseng (Panax notoginseng), and ligusticum, a member of the umbellifer family. In the extract they identified 55 biologically active compounds, including substances with potential anti-inflammatory properties. The results of the study were published in the journal Frontiers in Pharmacology.

Results of the experiment

The animals received the extract for four months. By the end of the observations, their systolic blood pressure had decreased, vascular stiffness had diminished, and signs of premature vascular aging had become less pronounced. The researchers also recorded a protective effect of the complex on the heart and kidneys: enlargement of the heart muscle and fibrosis — the excessive growth of connective tissue that impairs organ function — were reduced, and the condition of the kidney tissue improved. There were also fewer injuries to the nerve cells of the hippocampus, the brain region involved in memory formation.

Mechanism and limitations

Additional laboratory experiments suggested a possible mechanism of action: the authors linked the protective properties to regulation of the PPARγ/NF-κB signaling pathway, which is involved in controlling inflammation and cellular aging. The authors suggest that the combination of three plants could become the basis for agents protecting blood vessels in hypertension, but they emphasize that the efficacy and safety of this approach have so far been confirmed only in animal experiments, and its potential use in humans remains to be studied. Gazeta.Ru reported on this study; earlier the same outlet wrote about the discovery of substances that protect the skin from aging in sakura blossoms.