Genistein treatment reduces arterial contractions by inhibiting tyrosine kinases in ovariectomized hypertensive rats

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the vascular effects of genistein in a short-term study. The ovariectomized spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) were divided into four groups (n = 8 in each), which received the following subcutaneous treatments either for 2 days or for 2 weeks: (1) solvent control (96% dimethylsulphoxide (DMSO) 1 ml/kg), (2) estradiol-17beta (25 mug/kg), (3) genistein (2.5 mg/kg; low-dose), and (4) genistein (25 mg/kg; high-dose). The renal arterial rings were studied using organ bath system. The renal artery contractions were attenuated by the 2-day low-dose genistein treatment as follows: angiotensin II (46%), noradrenaline (42%) KCl (36%), and endothelin-1 (34%). Only the angiotensin II-induced contractions were reduced by the 2-week treatment with estradiol-17beta (38%) and with the low-dose of genistein (31%). The 2-day genistein treatment reduced tyrosine phosphorylation, while the other treatments or treatment times had no effect. The 2-day low-dose genistein treatment had no estrogenic effect on the uterine morphology. The mechanism for attenuated contractility in the renal arteries after the 2-day low-dose genistein treatment is independent of the estrogenic effect of genistein, but is due to the tyrosine kinase inhibitory property of genistein. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.