Effects of morin on blood pressure and metabolic changes in fructose-induced hypertensive rats

High fructose (HF) feeding induces a moderate increase in blood pressure in rats, which is associated with insulin resistance, hyperinsulinemia, and hypertriglyceridemia. In the present study, we examined the chronic effect of morin, a flavonoid isolated from medicinal plants, on blood pressure, lipid profiles, and serum insulin and glucose in HF-induced hypertensive rats. Rats were divided into control group and HF-fed group during the first three weeks of experiments. Then, rats were further divided into four groups and treated for 4 more weeks as follows: 1) control group; 2) morin-treated (intraperitoneal 5 mg/kg/d) control group; 3) HF-fed group; 4) morin-treated, HF-fed group (n=8, each group). Morin-treated HF-fed group showed lower systolic blood pressure (SBP) (132.0+/-2.5 mmHg vs. 142.8+/-2.2 mmHg, p<0.05), lower serum insulin level (1.21+/-0.27 vs. 2.73+/-0.30 microIU/dl, p<0.05), and lower plasma triglycerides (47.8+/-5.0 vs. 65.5+/-5.0 mg/dl, p<0.05) than those of HF-fed group. Morin treatment also suppressed mRNA expression of endothelin-1 (ET-1) in the thoracic aorta from HF-induced hypertensive rats. Moreover, decreased renal sodium excretion in HF-induced hypertensive rats was ameliorated by morin treatment. In conclusion, the results of this study demonstrate that morin has an anti-hypertensive effect in HF-induced hypertensive rats. This effect of morin may be associated with the suppression of serum insulin and plasma triglyceride level, with the down-regulation of ET-1 in the thoracic aorta, and with the partial amelioration of renal dysfunctions in HF-induced hypertensive rats.