Antihypertensive and Renal Protective Effects of Oryeongsan in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats

Oryeongsan (ORS), a traditional medicine used to regulate body fluids, has a long history of use as a diuretic in Korea, China, and Japan. ORS is commonly thought to lower blood pressure, but high-quality data on its effects are sparse. The purpose of this study was to determine the antihypertensive and renal protective effects of ORS in rats with hypertension. Spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) were divided into two groups with similar mean baseline systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP). Then, 10 mL/kg of vehicle (distilled water) or 200 mg/kg of ORS extract were administered orally once a day for 3 weeks. SBP and DBP were measured at weeks 1, 2, and 3. At the end of the experiment, blood was collected, and kidneys were removed for histology. By the 2nd and 3rd week after initiation of treatment, the ORS-treated group had significantly lower SBP than control-treated rats (191.3 +/- 6.5 vs. 206.3 +/- 9.8 mmHg, p = 0.022 at the 2nd week; 195.8 +/- 7.8 vs. 217.0 +/- 8.1 mmHg, p = 0.003 at the 3rd week, respectively). The ORS-treated group trended toward having a lower DBP than control, but there was no significant difference. Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and serum creatinine (Cr) were not different between the ORS-treated and control groups (BUN: 23.7 +/- 1.1 vs. 22.7 +/- 2.8 mg/dL, p = 0.508; Cr: 19.0 +/- 2.2 vs. 21.6 +/- 2.1 mu M, p = 0.083, respectively). The percentage of renal tissue affected by tubulointerstitial fibrosis was significantly lower in the ORS-treated group (1.68 +/- 0.60) compared to controls (3.17 +/- 0.96, p = 0.019). These findings suggest that treatment with ORS reduces SBP and ameliorates renal damage in SHR.