The effect of Marrubium vulgare on contractile reactivity of aorta in diabetic rats

BACKGROUND: The incidence of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases increases in diabetes mellitus patients. Therefore, the effects of a two-month oral administration of Marrubium vulgare (MV) on contractile reactivity of isolated aorta in an experimental model of diabetic rats were evaluated in the present study. METHODS: Male Wistar rats (n = 44) were randomly divided into control, MV-treated control, diabetic, and MV-treated diabetic groups. For induction of diabetes, streptozotocin (STZ) was intraperitoneally administered (60 mg/kg). MV-treated groups received MV mixed with standard pelleted food at a weight ratio of 1/15. After 2 months, contractile reactivity of aortic rings to potassium chloride (KCl) and noradrenaline was determined using isolated tissue setup. RESULTS: Serum glucose levels showed significant increases in the diabetic group at 4th and 8th weeks (P < 0.001), while this increase was not observed in MV-treated diabetic group at the 8th week. In addition, the latter group showed a lower contraction to KCl (P < 0.05) and noradrenaline (P < 0.05) as compared to the diabetic group. Meanwhile, there was no significant difference between the control and MV-treated control groups regarding contractile reactivity. CONCLUSION: It can be concluded that oral administration of MV for 2 months could attenuate the contractile responsiveness of the vascular system which may prevent the development of hypertension in diabetic rats.