Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team Dec 11, 2025 1 hour ago
Medical News: Phytochemical from Rosemary Plant Helps Relax Blood Vessels
A groundbreaking study by researchers from the Department of Physiology at Bursa Uludağ University in Turkey has found that rosmarinic acid, a phytochemical found in rosemary, can help relax blood vessels through multiple biological pathways, offering potential as a natural treatment for high blood pressure.
Rosmarinic acid from rosemary relaxes blood vessels by targeting nitric oxide and calcium pathways
This
Medical News report highlights how scientists used a laboratory model involving rat aortic rings to test how rosmarinic acid affects blood vessel relaxation. They discovered that the compound works by targeting the blood vessel lining (endothelium), potassium channels, and calcium signaling—key mechanisms involved in controlling blood pressure.
Strong Relaxation Effects in Blood Vessels
The researchers observed that rosmarinic acid induced a strong, concentration-dependent relaxation in blood vessels that had an intact endothelium, with a maximum effect of nearly 94%. Even in blood vessels where the endothelium had been removed, rosmarinic acid still had a partial relaxing effect, showing that it works through both endothelium-dependent and endothelium-independent methods.
When the team blocked specific pathways such as the PI3K/Akt/eNOS/NO/cGMP signaling cascade, which is crucial for nitric oxide production, the relaxing effect was significantly reduced. This confirmed that nitric oxide plays a central role in how rosmarinic acid works to lower vascular tension.
Potassium and Calcium Channels Also Involved
Further experiments showed that rosmarinic acid affects various potassium channels—especially the BKCa, IKCa, and Kv channels—that help regulate blood pressure by altering electrical signals in the vessel walls. When these channels were blocked, the relaxation effect of rosmarinic acid dropped significantly.
The study also revealed that rosmarinic acid reduces calcium influx into the muscle cells of blood vessels and limits calcium release from internal storage areas within the cells. This is important because high calcium levels trigger vessel contraction. By lowering calcium levels, rosmarinic acid helps keep blood vessels more relaxed.
Blocks Hormones That Raise Blood Pressure
In addition to affecting nitric oxide, potassium, and calcium pathways, the compound was found to block the actions of the hormone angiotensin II and the protein kinase C (PKC) pathway—both of which normally cause blood vessels to tighten. After treatment with rosmarinic acid, the contraction response to these agents was significantly reduced.
A Natural Alternative to Synthetic Drugs
This study demonstrates that rosmarinic acid may offer a powerful, multi-targeted approach to managing hypertension. It works by improving nitric oxide signaling, activating potassium channels, lowering calcium
levels, and blocking harmful hormonal signals. Unlike some synthetic drugs that come with serious side effects, rosmarinic acid is derived from a plant long used in traditional medicine, suggesting it may have a safer profile for long-term use.
The researchers caution that while the laboratory results are promising, further studies using advanced molecular techniques are needed to confirm these effects in humans. Still, this natural compound could one day become an important player in the fight against high blood pressure.
The study findings were published in the peer reviewed journal: Biomedicines.
https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9059/13/12/2936
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