Procyanidin C1 causes vasorelaxation through activation of the endothelial NO/cGMP pathway in thoracic aortic rings

The aim of this study was to clarify the efficacy of procyanidin C1 (Pro C1) for modulating vascular tone. Pro C1 induced a potent vasorelaxant effect on phenylephrine-constricted endothelium-intact thoracic aortic rings, but had no effect on denuded thoracic aortic rings. Moreover, Pro C1 caused a significant increase in nitric oxide (NO) production in endothelial cells. Pro C1-induced vasorelaxation and Pro C1-induced NO production were significantly decreased in the presence of a nonspecific potassium channel blocker (tetraethylammonium chloride [TEA]), an endothelial NO synthase inhibitor (N(G)-monomethyl-L-arginine [L-NMMA]), and a store-operated calcium entry inhibitor (2-aminoethyl diphenylborinate [2-APB]). Pro C1-induced vasorelaxation was also completely abolished by an inhibitor of soluble guanyl cyclase, which suggests that the Pro C1 effects observed involved cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) production. Interestingly, Pro C1 significantly enhanced basal cGMP levels. Taken together, these results indicate that Pro C1-induced vasorelaxation is associated with the activation of the calcium-dependent NO/cGMP pathway, involving potassium channel activation. Thus, Pro C1 may represent a novel and potentially therapeutically relevant compound for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases.