Red mold dioscorea has greater anti-hypertensive effect than traditional red mold rice in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

J. Agric. Food Chem. 2009, 57, 5035–5041

Cheng-Lun Wu, Chun-Lin Lee, and Tzu-Ming Pan

The aim of this study is to investigate the antihypertensive effects of red mold rice (RMR) and red mold dioscorea (RMD) by low-dose oral administration to spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs). A single oral dose of 1-fold RMD (150 mg/kg) significantly (p < 0.05) decreased systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) after 8 h of administration, but RMR showed no significant effect. During the chronic oral administration of 1-fold RMR (150 mg/kg), 0.5-fold RMD, 1-fold RMD, and 5-fold RMD to SHRs for 8 weeks, the increase of blood pressure was slowed significantly. The results indicated that only a 0.5-fold dose of RMD was able to significantly decrease both SBP and DBP. A 1-fold RMD showed a greater antihypertensive effect than 1-fold RMR, and both RMR and RMD can improve the vascular elastin structure remodeling. In comparison to RMR, RMD contained a higher amount of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and anti-inflammatory yellow pigments (monascin and ankaflavin). Moreover, RMD also exhibited higher angiotensin-I-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activity than RMR. These results suggest that RMD has greater antihypertensive bioavailability.

[血壓] 紅麴山藥比傳統紅麴米具有更良好的調節血壓功效

高血壓為國人近年來十大死亡原因之一，是心臟冠狀動脈疾病與腦血管病變最重要的危險因素。因此血壓的控制對於中老年人之健康是一重要的預防工作。血壓是血流衝擊血管壁引起的一種壓力，當心臟收縮時血管內壓力較高，此時所測得的血壓稱為收縮壓 (SBP)，心臟舒張時壓力較低，此時所得的血壓稱為舒張壓 (DBP)。紅麴發酵產物含有降血壓功效物質 γ-胺基丁酸 (γ-aminobutyric acid, GABA)，為抑制性神經傳導物質，可引起血管的擴張。本篇研究使用自發性高血壓大鼠為模式老鼠，以非侵入式血壓機測量大鼠的尾脈搏，分別餵食紅麴米與紅麴山藥，評估紅麴米與紅麴山藥在短效性 (24 hr) 與長效性 (8 週) 降血壓效果。結果無論是在短效性或是長效性餵食紅麴山藥效果皆比紅麴米較佳。在短效性紅麴山藥餵食一倍劑量 (150 mg/kg) 可降低收縮壓 13 mmHg 與舒張壓 19 mmHg，且持續至八小時後仍有效果；餵食八週後紅麴山藥顯著降低收縮壓 27 mmHg 與舒張壓 22 mmHg (p<0.05)，無論是短期24小時或長期八週餵食紅麴山藥均有顯著降低其血壓功效，在生化值檢測方面，紅麴山藥不會造成肝、腎代謝負擔，並未顯著造成 AST (aspartate aminotransferase) 及ALT (alanine aminotransferase) 濃度上升，且也未造成肌肉、心律影響及體內電解質不平衡。