Impairment of Vascular Function of Rat Thoracic Aorta in an Endothelium-Dependent Manner by Shikonin/Alkannin and Derivatives Isolated from Roots of Macrotomia euchroma

The effects of a naphthoquinone analogue, shikonin/alkannin (SA) and derivatives (acetylshikonin and β,β-dimethylacrylshikonin), on vascular reactivity were studied with isolated rat aortic rings. At lower concentrations, SA and its derivatives concentration-dependently inhibit the agonist-induced (acetylcholine and histamine) relaxation in PE precontracted aorta in an endothelium-dependent manner with IC ₅₀ values ranging from 0.2 to 1.5 μM. In addition to the effect on agonist-induced vasorelaxation, the Ca ²⁺ ionophore A23187-induced vasorelaxation was also inhibited or reversed by SA. However, SA had no effect on sodium nitroprusside-induced (guanylate cyclase activator) vasorelaxation. These data suggested that SA and its derivatives might be acting as inhibitors of nitric oxide synthesis in endothelium. At a concentration greater than 10 μM, SA induced contraction of intact but not denuded aorta which could be inhibited by prior treatment with indomethacin, a cyclooxygenase inhibitor. In summary, the results from this study showed that SA and its derivatives inhibited agonist-induced relaxation at lower concentrations and induced vasocontraction at higher concentrations. All the effects seen with SA were endothelium- dependent, however, through different mechanisms.