BaiJiu Increases Nitric Oxide Bioactivity of Chinese Herbs Used to Treat Coronary Artery Disease Through the NO3--NO2--NO Pathway.

BaiJiu (BJ) is a type of Chinese rice wine combined with the traditional Chinese herbs GuaLou (GL) and XieBai (XB), which have been used to treat and prevent coronary artery disease for nearly 2000 years in China. However, the mechanisms behind the compatibility of the components of this compound (GLXBBJ) have not been deeply investigated. In this study, the compatibility of the GLXBBJ compounds with nitric oxide (NO) bioactivity was evaluated in herbs, cells, and isolated aortic rings. Nitrate (NO3) and nitrite (NO2) concentrations were quantified by the Griess method. Nitric oxide (NO) was quantified by a multifunctional enzyme marker using a fluorescent probe. Qualitative analysis of L-arginine-endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) was performed by Western blotting. The tension of aortic rings was measured by multimyograph system. The ability of BJ to reduce NO3 to NO2 and NO2 to NO was strongest under hypoxic conditions and was not affected by temperature. BJ-containing serum significantly decreased the NO3 content and increased the NO2 content in hypoxic cells. Combining BJ with GL, XB, or GLXB resulted in stronger vasodilation effects. These results demonstrate that BJ effectively reduces NO3/NO2, although only a small amount of NO3 is present. Once combined with GL, XB, or GLXB, which are rich in NO3/NO2, robust NO bioactivity was generated through the NO3-NO2-NO pathway. Therefore, this study supports the potential of using traditional Chinese herbs for promoting medical innovation and for future drug development.