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Peripheral venous hypertension has emerged as a prominent characteristic of venous disease (VD). This disease causes lower limb edema due to impaired blood transport in the veins. The phlebotonic drugs in use showed moderate evidence for reducing edema slightly in the lower legs and little or no difference in the quality of life. To enhance the probability of favorable experimental results, a virtual screening procedure was employed to identify molecules with potential therapeutic activity in VD. Compounds obtained from multiple databases, namely AC Discovery, NuBBE, BIOFACQUIM, and InflamNat, were compared with reference compounds. The examination of structural similarity, targets, and signaling pathways in venous diseases allows for the identification of compounds with potential usefulness in VD. The computational tools employed were rcdk and chemminer from R-Studio and Cytoscape. An extended fingerprint analysis allowed us to obtain 1846 from 41,655 compounds compiled. Only 229 compounds showed pharmacological targets in the PubChem server, of which 84 molecules interacted with the VD network. Because of their descriptors and multi-target capacity, only 18 molecules of 84 were identified as potential candidates for experimental evaluation. We opted to evaluate the berberine compound because of its affordability, and extensive literature support. The experiment showed the proposed activity in an acute venous hypertension model.

Chiranthodendron pentadactylon Larreat is a tree native to southeastern Mexico and Guatemala. Its flower is used in Mexican folk medicine to treat a variety of diseases, including conditions of blood pressure. However, scientific information on its usefulness in this pathology is lacking. The present study evaluates the effect of a methanolic extract (ME) from the flower and its active constituents on heart rate (HR) and mean arterial pressure (MAP) in anesthetized rats (MAPHR). The study also analyzed the effects on rat-isolated aortic rings (RIAR) and the rat mesenteric arterial bed (MABR). Active fractions were chromatographed, which led to the isolation of cyanidin 3- O -glucoside (C3G) identified through HPLC. The Chiranthodendron pentadactylon flowers produced hypotensive and vasorelaxant effects associated with C3G. The vasorelaxant effect is a mechanism underlying the synthesis and release of nitric oxide (NO). Neither cholinergic receptors nor prostaglandins are involved. ME and C3G cause cardiovascular depression in anesthetized rats via cholinergic and prostanoid mechanisms. Our research expands the scientific understanding of the flowers on the rat cardiovascular system. This amplifies the appreciation of the flower's ethnomedicine employed to control blood pressure. However, researchers need to conduct toxicity studies to determine the safety of this plant.