The promising effect of barberry (Zereshk) extract against experimental pulmonary microvascular remodeling and hypertension: A comparison with sildenafil

Context: Despite the beneficial effects of barberry (Berberis integerrima Berberidaceae) on decreasing systemic hypertension, its influence has not been investigated on pulmonary hypertension.

Objective: The objective of this study is to examine the effect of barberry fruit, on monocrotaline-induced pulmonary hypertension.

Materials and methods: Nine groups were arranged as follows: the control group, the monocrotaline (M) group, the barberry groups with doses of 50, 100, and 200 (mg/kg), the M plus barberry groups, and the M plus sildenafil group. Two weeks after a single injection of monocrotaline (60?mg/kg, s.c.), barberry water extracts or sildenafil (30?mg/kg/d) were gavaged daily for 2 weeks. At the end of the 4th week, hemodynamic, biochemical, and histopathological parameters were assessed.

Results: In comparison with the M group, barberry (200?mg/kg) or sildenafil significantly reduced the right ventricular systolic pressure (RVSP) (22.95?±?1.78?mm Hg and 30.71?±?1.64?mm Hg, versus 41.28?±?1.5?mm Hg), right ventricular hypertrophy (RVH) (0.39?±?0.03 and 0.42?±?0.02, versus 0.57?±?0.02), and the medial wall thickness (MWT) (4.56?±?0.15?µm and 5.97?±?0.19?µm, versus 7.02?±?0.43?µm). Barberry or sildenafil had no significant effect on the plasma level of endothelin-1, glutathione peroxidase, and the malondialdehide of lung.

Conclusion: 200?mg/kg of barberry has an improving effect on the monocrotaline-induced pulmonary hypertension. This effect was stronger than that of the sildenafil's and may have been mediated through mechanisms other than the modulation of the endothelin-1 or redox system.