8th Annual WML Academic Symposium

Presenter(s): Amreen Jonas
Title: Nitric oxide-dependent vasodilatation induced by an extract of Aristotelia chilensis leaves.
Developed under the guidance of Dr. Victor Pulgar , Pharmaceutical Sciences

The maqui (Aristotelia chilensis) berry has been attributed many medicinal properties by indigenous peoples living in the southern part of Chile. These berries are rich in anthocyanins, compounds with powerful antioxidant properties. We investigated potential effects of an extract obtained from dried maqui leaves on vasodilatation in isolated resistance arteries. Using wire myography, we observed that an ethanolic extract dose-dependently relaxed pre-constricted rat mesenteric arteries. This relaxation appears to be dependent on prostaglandins and nitric oxide generation. We conclude that extracts from A. chilensis leaves may have antihypertensive properties and aim to determine the active principles responsible for these effects.