Molecules (Jul 2022)

Vietnamese <i>Dalbergia tonkinensis</i>: A Promising Source of Mono- and Bifunctional Vasodilators

  • Nguyen Manh Cuong,
  • Ninh The Son,
  • Ngu Truong Nhan,
  • Yoshiyasu Fukuyama,
  • Amer Ahmed,
  • Simona Saponara,
  • Alfonso Trezza,
  • Beatrice Gianibbi,
  • Ginevra Vigni,
  • Ottavia Spiga,
  • Fabio Fusi

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27144505
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 27, no. 14
p. 4505

Abstract

Read online

Hypertension is a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, which are the main cause of morbidity and mortality in the world. In the search for new molecules capable of targeting KCa1.1 and CaV1.2 channels, the expression of which is altered in hypertension, the in vitro vascular effects of a series of flavonoids extracted from the heartwoods, roots, and leaves of Dalbergia tonkinensis Prain, widely used in traditional medicine, were assessed. Rat aorta rings, tail artery myocytes, and docking and molecular dynamics simulations were used to analyse their effect on these channels. Formononetin, orobol, pinocembrin, and biochanin A showed a marked myorelaxant activity, particularly in rings stimulated by moderate rather than high KCl concentrations. Ba2+ currents through CaV1.2 channels (IBa1.2) were blocked in a concentration-dependent manner by sativanone, 3′-O-methylviolanone, pinocembrin, and biochanin A, while it was stimulated by ambocin. Sativanone, dalsissooside, and eriodictyol inhibited, while tectorigenin 7-O-[β-D-apiofuranosyl-(1→6)-β-D-glucopyranoside], ambocin, butin, and biochanin A increased IKCa1.1. In silico analyses showed that biochanin A, sativanone, and pinocembrin bound with high affinity in target-sensing regions of both channels, providing insight into their potential mechanism of action. In conclusion, Dalbergia tonkinensis is a valuable source of mono- and bifunctional, vasoactive scaffolds for the development of novel antihypertensive drugs.

Keywords