Planta Medica, Table of Contents Planta Med 1996; 62(5): 431-435DOI: 10.1055/s-2006-957933 Paper © Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New YorkTetramethylpyrazine, a Calcium AntagonistPeter Kai To Pang1 , 3 , Jacqueline Jie Shan1 , Kam Wai Chiu2 1Department of Physiology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2H7 2Herbtech Inc., Edmonton, Alberta, Canada 3Faculty of Engineering, Fukuyama University, Higashimura-cho, Fukuyama-shi, Hiroshima 729-02, Japan Recommend Article Abstract PDF Download Buy Article Abstract Tetramethylpyrazine (TMP) is a compound purified from a medicinal plant Ligusticum wallichii Franch. Its effects on in vivo blood pressure, in vitro vascular contractility, and in-tracellular calcium regulation in rats were examined in the present study to see if it was a possible calcium antagonist in the vascular tissue. Data showed that TMP was hypotensive and had a direct vascular effect. It not only blocked the entry of extracellular calcium through calcium channels but also inhibited the release of intracellular stored calcium in the vascular smooth muscle cell. It was a true calcium antagonist. Key words Tetramethylpyrazine - Ligusticum wallichii - Apiaceae - calcium antagonist - vasorelaxant - hypotensive PDF (370 kb)
