Evaluation of the Effects of Drotaverine and Nardostachys jatamansi on Hypertension in Wistar Rats

Objectives: Hypertension is a significant public health issue in India, affecting 24% of men and 21% of women, with over 50% unaware of their condition.Obesity, diabetes, high salt intake, and sedentary lifestyles are the main causes of uncontrolled hypertension.To tackle this issue, we explore the effects of drotaverine and Nardostachys jatamansi on fructose induced hypertension in male Wistar rats with amlodipine as the standard drug. Methods:This was an experimental study carried over a period of 10 weeks.A total of 42 rats were randomly divided into 7 groups with 6 rats in each group.Drinking water was replaced with 10% fructose solution in all groups except Group 1, and rats in Group 2 received no treatment.Drotaverine (8 and 25 mg/kg/d), Nardostachys jatamansi (200 and 300 mg/kg/d), and amlodipine (10 mg/kg/d) were administered to groups 3,4,5,6 and 7, respectively.Results: Hypertension developed in the 6th week in all the groups except the control group.At the end of 10 weeks-SBP was significantly decreased in groups 3,4,5,6 and 7 as compared to group 2 (p<0.001),SBP of none of the treatment groups (3,4,5 and 6) was significantly different from the standard drug amlodipine and SBP of drotaverine groups and Jatamansi groups did not differ significantly from each other. Conclusion:Both drotaverine and Nardostachys jatamansi showed antihypertensive effect in the present study.