Antihypertensive activity of Lugwigia octovalvis (Jacq.) P. H. Raven (Onagraceae) hydro alcoholic extract on rat

Our objective was to study the activity of Ludwigia octovalvis hydro alcoholic extract in rats made experimentally hypertensive by a hypersodic diet. After 21 days of this diet, the systolic and diastolic blood pressure of these animals increases to 200.1 ± 1.5 / 155.6 ± 1.5 mm Hg, respectively. Administered orally, the extract reduces this high blood pressure. The control group blood pressure returned to its normal value (113.2 ± 1.2/76.3 ± 1) mm Hg after 24 days, versus 9th, 15th and 19th days for animals treated with the extract at doses of 400, 200 and 100 mg / kg (P <0.05). It does not have any diuretic activity but relaxes the isolated aorta contracted with norepinephrine 10-4 M with an EC50 equal to 1.18 ± 0.02 mg/ml. These results indicate that Ludwigia octovalvis extract has an antihypertensive activity by its vasodilator property. The polyphenols, triterpenoids and flavonoids in the extract may be responsible for its hypotensive activity.