[Effect of berberine on nitric oxide release of rat intestinal mucous microvascular endothelial cells].

OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of berberine on the release of nitric oxide (NO) by rat intestinal mucous microvascular endothelial cells (RIMECs) cultured in vitro for exploring the pharmacological mechanism of berberine in treating intestinal disease. METHODS: Cultured RIMECs in vitro were identified adopting immunofluorescent stain with factor VIII-related antigen. NO level in the supernatant of normal cell culture or cell culture treated with different concentrations of berberine was detected with colorimetry at the 3rd, 6th, 9th and 12th h and compared. RESULTS: Compared with that in the normal control group, NO level increased more obviously in the berberine treated groups, and the best effect was shown in the 5 microg/mL berberine treated group. CONCLUSION: One of the important pharmacological mechanisms of berberine might be through promoting the endogenous NO release to induce endothelium-dependent dilatation of microvascular in intestinal mucosa, thus to improve the local microcirculation of intestine.