Abstract
Berberis kaschgarica Rupr. is a berry fruit shrub found in the north-western region of China, locally its fruit is consumed as a tea ingredient a part of the daily diet, for treatment of different diseases like eczema, and for cardiovascular care as a traditional remedy. In the current study, an optimized ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) method is developed using response surface methodology (RSM) to extract anthocyanins from the fruit. The influence of the extraction conditions on the yield of anthocyanins was evaluated and discussed. Additionally, the antihypertensive activity of the extract was evaluated in rats. The negative control group comprised Wistar-Kyoto rats, while five experimental groups included spontaneously hypertensive rats: model group; captopril group; and three treatment groups receiving purified extract. Blood pressure was regularly monitored every 2 weeks during the 12-week treatment period. Post-treatment left ventricular cardiac function in rats was assessed, and serum level of renin (REN), angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), angiotensin II (Ang-II), angiotensin-(1-7) (Ang-(1-7)), endothelin-1 (ET-1) and nitric oxide (NO) were evaluated. The optimal UAE extraction condition determined by RSM was 56.5% ethanol volume, 1:19.74 solid-to-liquid ratio, 55 min extraction time, and 0.71% of HCL volume. The purified B. kaschgarica anthocyanin extract exhibited antihypertensive effects and significantly improved left ventricular cardiac functions in treated rats. Furthermore, serum levels of REN, ACE, Ang-II, ET-1, Ang-(1-7), and NO showed statistically significant changes in the treated groups. This study highlights the efficacy of the developed optimized UAE method for high-yield anthocyanin extraction from B. kaschgarica fruit and its potential as a therapeutic agent for hypertension.