Boldine Ameliorates Vascular Oxidative Stress and Endothelial Dysfunction: Therapeutic Implication for Hypertension and Diabetes

Epidemiological and clinical studies have demonstrated that a growing list of natural products, as components of the daily diet or phytomedical preparations, are a rich source of antioxidants. Boldine [(S)-2,9-dihydroxy-1,10-dimethoxy-aporphine], an aporphine alkaloid, is a potent antioxidant found in the leaves and bark of the Chilean boldo tree. Boldine has been extensively reported as a potent “natural” antioxidant and possesses several health-promoting properties like anti-inflammatory, antitumor promoting, antidiabetic, and cytoprotective. Boldine exhibited significant endothelial protective effect in animal models of hypertension and diabetes mellitus. In isolated thoracic aorta of spontaneously hypertensive rats, streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats, and db/db mice, repeated treatment of boldine significantly improved the attenuated acetylcholine-induced endothelium-dependent relaxations. The endothelial protective role of boldine correlated with increased nitric oxide levels and reduction of vascular reactive oxygen species via inhibition of the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase subunits, p47(phox) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase 2, and angiotensin II–induced bone morphogenetic protein-4 oxidative stress cascade with downregulation of angiotensin II type 1 receptor and bone morphogenetic protein-4 expression. Taken together, it seems that boldine may exert protective effects on the endothelium via several mechanisms, including protecting nitric oxide from degradation by reactive oxygen species as in oxidative stress–related diseases. The present review supports a complimentary therapeutic role of the phytochemical, boldine, against endothelial dysfunctions associated with hypertension and diabetes mellitus by interfering with the oxidative stress–mediated signaling pathway.