Effect of Berberine Hydrochloride on Blood Pressure and Vascular Endothelial Function in Patients With Hypertension

Hypertension is a progressive cardiovascular syndrome caused by multiple causes, which can lead to changes in the function and structure of the heart and blood vessels. It is the leading risk factor of cardiovascular disease. Berberine (BBR) hydrochloride is an isoquinoline alkaloid (chemical formula: C20H18NO4) extracted from traditional Chinese herb Coptis chinensis. It has been widely used to treat diarrhea and enteritis for hundreds of years in China. BBR has extremely high clinical application value. It is an over-the-counter drug with low price, good safety and few adverse reactions in China. We found that Berberine (BBR) hydrochloride tablets have a hypotensive effect in clinical practice. However, there are few clinical studies on the treatment of hypertensive patients with BBR tablets. In addition, the clinical dosage of BBR tablets is not uniform, and its molecular mechanism is still unclear. In order to further evaluate the clinical efficacy of BBR in reducing blood pressure and improving vascular endothelial injury, we carried out this clinical trial of drug intervention for hypertensive population. After signed the informed consent, the subjects are assigned to the lifestyle intervention group (CON) and berberine hydrochloride group (BBR). The berberine hydrochloride group (BBR) take berberine hydrochloride tablets (0.4g, 3 times/day, 3 months) . We will follow up blood pressure and vascular endothelial function in 1 month and 3 months after taking the medicine.