The aim of the current study was to investigate the vasorelaxant activity of five structurally-related triterpenic acids namely ursolic (1), moronic (2), morolic (3), betulinic (4) and 3,4-seco-olean-18-ene-3,28-dioic (5) acids. The vasorelaxant effect of compounds 1-5 were determined on endothelium-denuded and endothelium-intact rat aortic rings pre-contracted with noradrenaline (0.1 μM). All compounds showed significant relaxant effect on endothelium-intact vessels in a concentration-dependent manner (p<0.05). Ursolic, moronic and betulinic acids were the most potent vasorelaxant agents with 11.7, 16.11 and 58.46 μM, respectively. Since vasorelaxation was blocked by L-NAME, while indomethacin did not inhibit the effect, endothelium-derived nitric oxide seems to be involved in triterpenic 2 and 3 mode of action. Compounds 1-5 were docked with a crystal structure of eNOS. Triterpenes 1-5 showed calculated affinity with eNOS in the C1 and C2 binding pockets, near the catalytic site; Ser248 and Asp480 are the residues that make hydrogen bonds with the triterpene compounds.
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