Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2015 Nov;70(11):751-7.
doi: 10.6061/clinics/2015(11)07.

Mechanisms of the antihypertensive effects of Nigella sativa oil in L-NAME-induced hypertensive rats

Kamsiah Jaarin  1 , Wai Dic Foong  1 , Min Hui Yeoh  1 , Zaman Yusoff Nik Kamarul  1 , Haji Mohd Saad Qodriyah  1 , Abdullah Azman  1 , Japar Sidik Fadhlullah Zuhair  1 , Abdul Hamid Juliana  1 , Yusof Kamisah  1
Affiliations

Mechanisms of the antihypertensive effects of Nigella sativa oil in L-NAME-induced hypertensive rats

Kamsiah Jaarin et al. Clinics (Sao Paulo). 2015 Nov.

Abstract

Objectives: This study was conducted to determine whether the blood pressure-lowering effect of Nigella sativa might be mediated by its effects on nitric oxide, angiotensin-converting enzyme, heme oxygenase and oxidative stress markers.

Methods: Twenty-four adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided equally into 4 groups. One group served as the control (group 1), whereas the other three groups (groups 2-4) were administered L-NAME (25 mg/kg, intraperitoneally). Groups 3 and 4 were given oral nicardipine daily at a dose of 3 mg/kg and Nigella sativa oil at a dose of 2.5 mg/kg for 8 weeks, respectively, concomitantly with L-NAME administration.

Results: Nigella sativa oil prevented the increase in systolic blood pressure in the L-NAME-treated rats. The blood pressure reduction was associated with a reduction in cardiac lipid peroxidation product, NADPH oxidase, angiotensin-converting enzyme activity and plasma nitric oxide, as well as with an increase in heme oxygenase-1 activity in the heart. The effects of Nigella sativa on blood pressure, lipid peroxidation product, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase and angiotensin-converting enzyme were similar to those of nicardipine. In contrast, L-NAME had opposite effects on lipid peroxidation, angiotensin-converting enzyme and NO.

Conclusion: The antihypertensive effect of Nigella sativa oil appears to be mediated by a reduction in cardiac oxidative stress and angiotensin-converting enzyme activity, an increase in cardiac heme oxygenase-1 activity and a prevention of plasma nitric oxide loss. Thus, Nigella sativa oil might be beneficial for controlling hypertension.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Systolic blood pressure in rats given N. sativa oil (NS) and concurrent administration of L-NAME. The data represent the mean±SEM (n=6). *p<0.01 versus control, #p<0.05 versus L-NAME.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Effect of N. sativa oil on heart lipid peroxidation product in rats administered L-NAME for 8 weeks. The bars represent the mean±SEM (n=6). *p<0.01 versus control, # p<0.05 versus L-NAME.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Effects of N. sativa oil on NADPH oxidase enzyme activity in L-NAME administered rats. The bars represent the mean±SEM (n=6). *p<0.005 versus control, #p<0.05 versus L-NAME.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Percentage change of plasma NO (weeks 0 and 8) in rats administered L-NAME and N. sativa oil for 8 weeks. The bars represent the mean±SEM (n=6). *p<0.001 versus control, #p<0.001 versus L-NAME, §p<0.001 versus nicardipine-treated group.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. WHO . A global brief on hypertension: Silent killer, global public health crisis. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2013.
    1. Russo C, Olivieri O, Girelli D, Guarini P, Carletto A, Corrocher R. Anti-oxidant status and lipid peroxidation in patients with essential hypertension. J Hypertens. 1998;16(9):1267–71. doi: 10.1097/00004872-199816090-00007. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Kobayashi A, Ishikawa K, Mastsumoto H, Kimura S, Kamiyama Y, Maruyama Y. Synergetic antioxidant and vasodilatory action of carbon monoxide in angiotensin II- induced cardiac hypertrophy. Hypertension. 2007;50(6):1040–8. doi: 10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.107.097006. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Chen J, Chen W, Zhu M, Zhu Y, Yin H, Tan Z. Propofol attenuates angiotensin II-induced apoptosis in human coronary artery endothelial cells. Br J Anaesth. 2011;107(4):525–32. doi: 10.1093/bja/aer197. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Hong D, Bai YP, Shi RZ, Tan GS, Hu CP, Zhang GG. Inhibitory effect of reinioside C on vascular smooth muscle cells proliferation induced by angiotensin II via inhibiting NADPH oxidase-ROS-ENK1/2-NF-kappaB-AP-1 pathway. Pharmazie. 2014;69(9):698–703. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms