Abstract

Umbelliprenin (UMB), a member 7-prenyloxycoumarins, is a sesquiterpene coumarin produced by several Ferula species; UMB presents diverse properties including anticancer, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities. Antihypertensive properties of Ferula extracts were attributed to the sesquiterpene coumarins. This work assessed UMB effect on blood pressure in rats treated with high-fat diet (HFD). Forty Wistar rats were randomly assigned into 5 groups of eight: control group (fed with normal diet), HFD-control (fed with HFD (32 kcal of fat and 1 cholesterol) for 49 days and normal saline on day 50) and three groups of rats fed with HFD for 49 days and treated with UMB 6.25, 12.5 and 25 mg/kg (as a single intraperitoneal dose), on day 50. On day 50, invasive blood pressure measurements were made through cannulation of the carotid artery and use of the PowerLab system. Mean arterial blood pressure (MAP), systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure and heart rate (HR) were recorded. SBP and MAP in HFD-control rats were significantly higher than those of the control group (p < 0.001). Moreover, HFD treated rats that received the higher UMB dose showed a significant decrement of SBP and MAP. UMB presented a favourable anti-hypertensive profile in the HFD hypertension model in rats.