Screening tests for hypotensive substances were conducted on 57 items from 50 plants. Intravenous administration of fractions from Solidago altissima L. (leaves), asparagus, okra, cornhusk, corncob, tassel and bamboo leaves showed falls in blood pressure in SHR and SHRSP, especially the first marked and continuous falls. Furthermore, extracts from Solidago altissima L. and cornhusk were fractionated on columns of silica gel and Sephadex G-50. The crystalline compounds in the cornhusk fraction were identified as adenosine and guanosine. In addition, the hypotensive substance of fraction A1 from Solidago altissima L. may be a glycoprotein with a molecular weight of over 10, 000.

View full abstract

A macromolecular hypotensive substance in water extract of Fomes pinicola was purified by sequential fractionation on columns of Sephadex G-75, DEAE-cellulose, Sephadex G-150, Hydroxyapatite and Sepharose CL-4B gels. On the basis of its chemical properties and component analysis, it was considered to be a glycoprotein containing a large proportion of carbohydrate.

View full abstract

The fat deposit in the coronary artery can be produced not only in SHR but also in WKY with very long-term administration of a high-fat diet. However, the fat deposit in Group 1 which has the same level of total serum cholesterol as Group 4, suggests the significance of hypertension and/or genetic factors in coronary atherogenesis.Vectorcardiographical and pathological findings indicated that the myocardial lesions in Group 1 might be induced more predominantly by hypertension than by hyperlipidemia.
The bifurcated smaller branch of the coronary artery may be a readily evoked site for the fat deposit and thrombosis in SHR.
These experimental findings support the epidemiological evidence that hypertension accelerates atherosclerosis or increases the incidence of myocardial lesions even in normolipidemic population.

View full abstract