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We investigated the effect of a decrease in blood viscosity on the mean BP during isovolumic hemodilution and vasodilating activity of the endothelium in normotensive Wistar rats and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Blood viscosity was reduced by isovolumic hemodilution (replacement of 10% of circulating blood with an equal volume of plasma). Hemodilution caused the same reduction in blood viscosity by 16% in both groups of rats. In Wistar rats, a decrease in blood viscosity did not significantly change in the mean BP; no significant correlations between blood viscosity and mean BP were observed before and after hemodilution. In SHR, a decrease in blood viscosity led to a significant decrease in the mean BP by 18%. Correlations were found between the mean BP and blood viscosity in SHR before (r=0.63; p=0.028) and after (r=0.71; p=0.009) isovolumic hemodilution. In SHR, a decrease in the index of vasodilating activity of the endothelium due to a decrease in the vasodilatory response to intravenous administration of the endothelium-dependent vasodilator acetylcholine was revealed. In SHR, BP passively follows the change, in this case, the decrease in blood viscosity, which attests to impaired BP regulation in response to changes in shear stress on the vascular endothelium caused by the development of endothelial dysfunction in hypertensive animals., (© 2024. Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

The activation of c -Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) plays an important role in stroke outcomes. Tryptanthrin-6-oxime (TRYP-Ox) is reported to have high affinity for JNK and anti-inflammatory activity and may be of interest as a promising neuroprotective agent. The aim of this study was to investigate the neuroprotective effects of TRYP-Ox in a rat model of transient focal cerebral ischemia (FCI), which involved intraluminal occlusion of the left middle cerebral artery (MCA) for 1 h. Animals in the experimental group were administered intraperitoneal injections of TRYP-Ox 30 min before reperfusion and 23 and 47 h after FCI. Neurological status was assessed 4, 24, and 48 h following FCI onset. Treatment with 5 and 10 mg/kg of TRYP-Ox decreased mean scores of neurological deficits by 35-49 and 46-67% at 24 and 48 h, respectively. At these doses, TRYP-Ox decreased the infarction size by 28-31% at 48 h after FCI. TRYP-Ox (10 mg/kg) reduced the content of interleukin (IL) 1β and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) in the ischemic core area of the MCA region by 33% and 38%, respectively, and attenuated cerebral edema by 11% in the left hemisphere, which was affected by infarction, and by 6% in the right, contralateral hemisphere 24 h after FCI. TRYP-Ox reduced c -Jun phosphorylation in the MCA pool at 1 h after reperfusion. TRYP-Ox was predicted to have high blood-brain barrier permeability using various calculated descriptors and binary classification trees. Indeed, reactive oxidant production was significantly lower in the brain homogenates from rats treated with TRYP-Ox versus that in control animals. Our data suggest that the neuroprotective activity of TRYP-Ox may be due to the ability of this compound to inhibit JNK and exhibit anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity. Thus, TRYP-Ox may be considered a promising neuroprotective agent that potentially could be used for the development of new treatment strategies in cerebral ischemia.

New antithrombotic drug GRS, a soluble guanylate cyclase stimulator, after repeated administration in a dose of 10 mg/kg alleviates the symptoms of endothelial dysfunction in rats with myocardial infarction; it restores antiplatelet activity of the blood vessel wall and vasodilatory function of the endothelium without producing significant effect on endothelium-independent vasodilation. GRS also has direct antiaggregant and antihypertensive effects in therapeutic doses. The obtained data suggest that GRS can be therapeutically useful in patients with cardiovascular diseases accompanied by endothelial dysfunction., (© 2022. Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNKs) are involved in the myocardial and aortic remodeling, increased arterial tone, and arterial blood pressure elevation associated with hypertension. The aim of the present study was to investigate the antihypertensive effect of a new JNK inhibitor, 1H-indeno[1,2-b]quinoxalin-11-one oxime sodium salt (IQ-1S), on spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs). Experiments were performed using normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats and SHRs. Experimental groups of SHRs received IQ-1S intragastrically for 6 weeks in daily doses of 5 and 50 mg/kg; experimental groups of WKY rats received 50 mg/kg IQ-1S according to the same regimen. The IQ-1S administration regimen induced decreases in systolic blood pressure, mean arterial blood pressure, total peripheral resistance, blood viscosity, hematocrit, myocardial cell cross-sectional area, and aortic wall thickness in SHRs vs untreated SHRs. There were no significant differences in systolic blood pressure values between the control and experimental groups of WKY rats during the treatment period. A concentration-dependent decrease in the tone of carotid arterial rings isolated from SHRs was observed after JNK inhibitor application in vitro. Application of the JNK inhibitor diminished endothelin-1 secretion by human umbilical vein endothelial cells in vitro. The main mechanisms of the antihypertensive effect of IQ-1S included the attenuation of blood viscosity due to decreased hematocrit, a vasodilatory effect on arterial smooth muscle cells, and a decrease in endothelin-1 production by endothelial cells.

Background New therapeutic strategies, such as the use of agents to correct rheological disorders, are needed for the prevention and treatment of angiopathy in diabetic patients. The aim of this work was to study the antihyperglycaemic, haemorheologic and antioxidant activities of an extract from the flowering plant Lychnis chalcedonica L. (ELC) and 20-hydroxyecdysone using the streptozotocin-induced model of diabetic rats. Methods The streptozotocin-induced model of diabetes was produced using streptozotocin at a dose of 50 mg/kg (ip). Animals from the experimental groups were treated with ELC (150 mg/kg) or 20-hydroxyecdysone (1.1 mg/kg) intragastrically in 1% aqueous starch mucilage daily, for 14 days; rats of control groups received an equal volume of starch mucilage. The following parameters were measured: glucose concentration (GC) in blood, whole blood viscosity (WBV), conjugated dienes in RBC membranes. Macro- and microrheological indicators (viz. plasma viscosity, haematocrit, RBC aggregation (T1/2) and the RBC elongation index (EI)) were additionally measured in rats that received ELC, and in the control group. Results After treatment with ELC, the GC in rats was 19% lower than that in the control group (14.7 ± 0.9 mM compared to 18.2 ± 1.1 mM). Rats with streptozotocin-induced diabetes have hyperviscosity syndrome, which is characterized by increased WBV, increased RBC aggregation and decreased deformability. ELC treatment reduced WBV at shear rates of 10-90 s-1 by 5-8%, and T1/2 and EI in the experimental group were 31% and 5-10% higher compared to the control group. 20-Hydroxyecdysone decreased WBV at shear rates of 10-90 s-1 by 3-11%. Finally, ELC and 20-hydroxyecdysone lowered the content of conjugated dienes by 27% and by 26% compared to the control groups. Conclusion In the streptozotocin-induced diabetic rat model, ELC showed measurable antihyperglycaemic activity; ELC and 20-hydroxyecdysone demonstrated similar haemorheological, and antioxidant activities.

We studied the effect of O-((((4-hydroxy-3,5-di(1,7,7-trimethylbicyclo[2.2.1]hept-exo-2-yl) benzyl)oxy)ethyl)-O-(2-hydroxyethyl)-(1→4)-α-D-glucan (D-HES, 80 mg/kg, intravenously) and reference preparation ethylmethylhydroxypyridine succinate (EMHP-S, 50 mg/kg, intravenously) on rat survival and neurological deficit in 24 h after transient global cerebral ischemia in Wistar rats. Intravenous administration of D-HES and EMHP-S significantly increased the number of survivors by 68 and 78%, respectively, in comparison with the control group. In groups treated with D-HES and EMHP-S, the number of animals with severe neurological deficit was significantly lower and the number of animals moderate or mild neurological deficit was significantly higher than in the control group.

Background: Many pathological mechanisms are involved in the development of arterial hypertension; disturbance of the rheological properties of blood and microvascular rarefaction are among those mechanisms., Objective: The effect of p-tyrosol (Tyr) on hemorheological parameters and microvascularization in the cerebral cortex of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) at the stage of blood pressure rising (5-11 weeks) was studied., Methods: Blood viscosity (BV), plasma viscosity (PV), hematocrit, erythrocyte aggregation and deformability, the oxygen transport capacity index (OTCI), and the capillary network in the cerebral cortex after the course of treatment of Tyr (50 mg/kg daily i.g. for 6 weeks) were studied. Control normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats and control SHRs received an equivalent amount of 1% starch mucilage., Results: In comparison with WKY rats, disturbances of rheological blood parameters and a decrease in OTCI were revealed in control SHRs at the 11 weeks of life. By the end of the experiment, brain microvascular rarefaction was observed in the control SHRs (the average density of the capillary bed was reduced due to a decrease in the number of capillaries with a diameter of 3-7 μm). In SHRs rats treated with Tyr, BV and PV, the indices of erythrocyte aggregation were lower, and OTCI was higher in comparison with control SHRs. The density of the capillary network and the number of capillaries of 3-7 μm in the cerebral cortex of SHRs rats receiving Tyr were significantly higher than the corresponding values in control SHRs., Conclusion: When Tyr is administered to young SHRs during the development of hypertension, it limits the development of hyperviscosity syndrome, improves the oxygen transport capacity and eliminates microvascular rarefaction in the cerebral cortex., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The rheological properties of blood play a significant role in the onset and progression of arterial hypertension. The aim of our work was to evaluate the effect of the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor captopril (20 mg/kg/d), pentoxifylline (PTX; 100 mg/kg/d), and the combination of captopril + PTX (20 + 100 mg/kg/d) on the hemodynamic and hemorheological parameters in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) during the development of arterial hypertension. In the group of animals that received captopril, the mean arterial pressure (MAP) was significantly lower by 30% due to a decrease in cardiac output of 23% and in total peripheral resistance (TPR) of 26% compared with the control group, whereas blood viscosity did not change significantly. PTX-treated SHRs had significantly lower MAP and TPR (by 19% and 31%, respectively) and blood viscosity (by 4%-6%) and a higher erythrocyte deformability index (by 1.5%-2%) than the control group. In the group of animals that received captopril + PTX, MAP and TPR were significantly lower, by 41% and 46%, than those in the control group, and by 16% and 27% than those in the captopril group. The combination of the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor captopril and the hemorheological agent PTX, affecting various systems that are involved in blood pressure regulation, exhibits synergism and prevents an increase in arterial blood pressure during the development of arterial hypertension in SHRs (ie, from 5 to 11 weeks of life)., (Copyright © 2017 American Society of Hypertension. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: The effect of course administration of amlodipine on whole blood viscosity and on macro- and microrheological parameters was evaluated., Materials and Methods: SHRs were treated intragastrically with amlodipine at a dose of 10 mg/kg for 6 weeks. After finishing the course, hemodynamic and hemorheological parameters were measured., Results: The antihypertensive treatment with amlodipine resulted in a significant decrease in mean blood pressure by 29% and left ventricular to body weight mass index by 7%. Nevertheless, BV tended to increase. The administration of amlodipine had no effect on PV, plasma fibrinogen concentration, RBC aggregation, and RBC deformability, but hematocrit was higher (by 6%) than it was in control group., Conclusions: These results demonstrate that amlodipine has no positive hemorheological improvements when administered to SHRs., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest.

The effects of dihydroquercetin (50 mg/kg intragastrically daily for 6 weeks) on the density of capillary network (mean number of capillaries per mm 2 ), mean capillary diameter, structure of capillary network, capillary diameter distribution (<3, 3-5, 5-7, and 7-9 μ), and local cerebral blood flow (by laser Doppler) in the visual cortex were studied in SHR rats during the development of arterial hypertension (from the 6th to the 12th week of life). Normally, the systolic and diastolic BP progressively increased in SHR rats during this period. Dihydroquercetin did not affect the development of arterial hypertension. At the same time, the drug significantly increased the mean diameter of capillaries (by 11%), capillary network density (by 23%), and in the percentage of capillaries with a diameter of 3-9 μ (passable for erythrocytes; by 42%). Positive effects of dihydroquercetin on the structure of microcirculatory bed improved microcirculation: local cerebral blood flow in the visual cortex of SHR rats was significantly higher (by 36%) than in rats receiving no flavonoid and close to the value in Wistar-Kyoto rats. Dihydroquercetin improved microvascularization and microcirculation in the cerebral cortex of SHR rats during the formation of arterial hypertension.

The most common form of hypertension in young adults is isolated diastolic hypertension. Diastolic arterial pressure is determined by the total peripheral resistance and depends on both vascular hindrance and blood viscosity. The aim of our work was to study the efficiency of pentoxifylline (PTX) in young spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) during the development of arterial hypertension. The effects of a treatment course with PTX (100 mg/kg/day p.o. for 6 weeks, from 5 to 11 weeks old) on the mean, systolic, and diastolic blood pressure (BP); stroke volume; cardiac output; total peripheral resistance (TPR); whole blood viscosity (BV); plasma viscosity; hematocrit; RBC aggregation and deformability; local cerebral blood flow (lCBF); and microvascularization of the visual cortex were studied in SHRs in comparison with control SHRs and Wistar Kyoto rats. PTX-treated SHRs had significantly lower systolic, diastolic, and mean BP (by 24%, 26%, and 15%, respectively) and BV (by 5-9%) and a higher erythrocyte deformability index (by 1.5-2%), lCBF (by 42%), average diameter of capillaries (by 11%), density of the capillary network (by 23%), and percentage of capillaries with a diameter of 3-7 µm in comparison with control SHRs. In conclusion, PTX exerted positive effects on the hemodynamic, hemorheological, and microcirculatory parameters in SHRs during the development of arterial hypertension.

We studied the effect of dihydroquercetin (20 mg/kg/day intragastrically for 6 weeks) on mean BP and macro- and microrheological blood parameters in hypertensive SHR rats; in vitro effect of dihydroquercetin on the tone in thoracic aorta rings isolated from hypertensive SHR rats were also examined. At the end of the treatment course, the mean BP in the experimental rats decreased by 11%; the left ventricular mass index by 2%, and whole blood viscosity by 7-10% in comparison with control SHR rats; erythrocyte aggregation half-time increased by 15%; plasma viscosity, hematocrit, and erythrocyte deformability did not change. In in vitro experiments, dihydroquercetin (10 -8 -10 -6 M) induced relaxation of the isolated thoracic aorta rings in a dose-dependent manner. Hence, the antihypertensive effect of dihydroquercetin results from the decrease in blood viscosity and vasodilation.

The pharmacodynamics of phytoestrogens representing nonsteroidal compounds of plant origin with variable affinity to estrogen receptor subtypes has been studied. Clinical and experimental data on the mechanisms of action of phytoestrogens of the isoflavone and lignan classes are presented and their effects ca- pable of reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease development in women with climacteric syndrome and in experimental hypoestrogenemia are considered.

Specificities of the changes in the systemic hemodynamics indices in the spontaneously hypertensive line SHR rats have been studied in comparison with the normotensive line WKY rats. It was demonstrated that an increase in blood pressure observed in the young hypertensive male rats, which have completed puberty (8 weeks old), is associated with the development of the hyperkinetic type arterial hypertension, which is characterized by increased cardiac minute output. It has been shown that SHR line male rats reveal the establishment of stable arterial hypertension due to a significant increase in the total peripheral resistance with the simultaneous recovery of the cardiac minute output by the 25th week of life. SHR line rats at the age of 15 weeks may be regarded as being in the period of transition from the hyperkinetic type arterial hypertension to stable arterial hypertension.

Background: Systemic arterial pressure (AP) depends on two physiological variables: cardiac output (CO) and total peripheral resistance (TPR). The latter depends on vascular hindrance and blood viscosity (BV). However, the relative contributions of the vascular and rheological factors to TPR remain unclear., Objective: The aim of our work was to study the haemodynamic and haemorheologic effects of a treatment course with pentoxifylline (PTX) in SHRs in an effort to assess the impact of the rheological factor on TPR and AP., Methods: The effects of the treatment course with PTX (100 mg/kg/day p.o. for six weeks) on BV, plasma viscosity, haematocrit, erythrocyte aggregation and deformability, mean AP (MAP), stroke volume (SV), CO, and TPR were studied in SHRs and in control Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rats., Results: PTX-treated SHRs had a lower BV, lower erythrocyte aggregation, and higher erythrocyte deformability index compared with the controls. The TPR level was higher by 43% compared with that in WKY rats and did not differ from the values obtained from control SHRs. In SHRs, moderate and strong positive correlations were found between BV and MAP and between BV and TPR. PTX-treated SHRs did not have any significant correlations between the above mentioned parameters., Conclusions: Treatment with PTX attenuated whole blood viscosity, but did not affect the AP and hemodynamic parameters in the experimental SHRs compared with the control SHRs. The magnitude of the rheologic effects of PTX was insufficient to cause appreciable decreases in TPR and AP.

The studies were performed in hypertensive rats (SHR strain) during the period of hypertension development (7-8 weeks) and stable high blood pressure (16-17 weeks) and in normotensive rats (WKY strain) of corresponding ages. The average number of capillaries per square millimeter, the average capillaries diameter, and the capillary network structure following the estimation of capillaries distribution based on capillaries diameter within the following ranges (up to 3, from 3 to 5, from 5 to 7 and from 7 to 9 μm) were investigated using the morphological approach. The average diameter of capillaries and capillary network structure in SHRs during the development of hypertension did not differ from the respective values in WKY rats of the same age. SHR rats showed disturbed microvascularisation by structural and functional rarefaction in the stable high blood pressure period, which was manifested in lower average capillaries density and average capillaries diameter as well as in substantial (2.5 times) increase in plasmatic capillaries as compared to WKY rats of the same age.

Background: Postmenopausal women often develop hemorheological disorders which may affect the systemic blood circulation and present a cardiovascular risk factor., Objective: We evaluated effects of secoisolariciresinol (SECO), a phytoestrogen, on hemorheological parameters and lipid peroxidation in a model of the age-related and/or surgical menopause induced by ovariectomy in rats., Methods: Arterial blood was sampled from sham-operated female rats, ovariectomized rats (OVX), and OVX treated with SECO (OVXSECO) (20 mg/kg/day intragastrically for two weeks). Plasma estrogen concentration and the following hemorheological parameters were measured: RBC aggregation (half-time of aggregation, T1/2; amplitude of aggregation, AMP; aggregation index, AI), RBC deformability (elongation index, EI), whole blood viscosity at the shear rate of 3-300 s-1, plasma viscosity, hematocrit, plasma fibrinogen. Lipid peroxidation was evaluated by measuring conjugated dienes (CD) and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) in plasma., Results: Ovariectomy in rats caused a 60% decrease in plasma estrogen level and triggered the development of macro- and microhemorheological abnormalities. Blood viscosity increased by 12-31%, RBC elongation index reduced by 16-28%, and T1/2 and AI increased by 35% and 29% respectively. The increase in blood viscosity correlated predominantly with reduced RBC deformability. Plasma CD and TBARS were elevated by 47% and 104% respectively. SECO therapy for OVX rats reduced blood viscosity by 9-18% and T1/2 by 32%, and increased EI by 4-17%. SECO therapy disrupted the correlation between blood viscosity and RBC deformability. Lipid peroxidation was significantly inhibited, as shown by the reduction in CD and TBARS plasma concentrations by 89% and 70% respectively. SECO did not affect plasma viscosity, estrogen or fibrinogen levels., Conclusions: SECO treatment for OVX rats improves blood macro- and microrheological parameters, possibly through antioxidant protection of RBC.

Prevention of cardiovascular complications is one of the objectives of antihyperiensive therapy. However, the expected effect cannot be fully achieved by me- ans of the blood pressure control only. The authors studied the effect of captopril administration in SHR rats by monitoring the following parameters: arterial blood pressure, rheological properties of blood, and endothelial index of vasodilator activity (IVA), as well as their correlations. In SHR rats, the systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were higher by 28 - 33% as compared to WKY rats. In comparison to normotensive animals, the blood vis- cosity (BV) at shear rates from 30 to 450 sec -1 in SHR rats was increased by 12 - 15% (p = 0.020), the aggregation of red blood cells was increased by 22% (p = 0.012), and their plasticity in the range of shear stresses within 3 - 20 Pa was decreased by 2 - 8% (p = 0.028). The IVA value in SHR rats was lower by 26 % (p = 0.030) than that in WKY rats. The administration of captopril decreased the SBP and DBP values down to the level in normotensive animals, but did not influence the rheological properties of blood and its IVA value. In WKY rats, the BV exhibited reliable correlation with IVA (with r from +0.60 ai +0.67, p <0.05) at shear rates ranging within 30 - 450 sec -1, while the rheological parameters were correlated with neither SBP nor DBP. In SHR rats, the BV corre- lated with IVA only at 450 sec -1 (with r =+0.50, p = 0.025), and there were relationships between SBP and BV (r = + 0.64, p = 0.008) and the aggregation in- dex (r = +0.69, p = 0.003). Rats treated with captopril showed no correlations between hemorheological and hemodynamic parameters. Therefore, captopril decreases the arterial blood pressure, but it also violates the contour of vascular tone regulation associated with changes in shear stress on the vascular wall, which plays an important role in ensuring adequate local blood flow.

SHR rats were examined in the period before arterial hypertension development (5th week), during the increase in BP (6th-10th weeks), and under conditions of constantly elevated BP (11th-12th weeks). The total number of leukocytes did not differ in SHR and normotensive WKY rats. However, the relative number of lymphocytes and monocytes was shown to differ in various periods of arterial hypertension development. Our results suggest that white blood cells (primarily lymphocytes) are involved in the development of arterial hypertension.

The dynamics of systolic and diastolic BP and vasodilatory activity of the endothelium in SHR and Wistar-Kyoto rats was studied from the 5th to the 12th week of life. Systolic and diastolic BP did not differ in 5-week-old SHR and Wistar-Kyoto rats. After the 6th week of life, two stages of arterial hypertension development were observed in SHR. Stage 1 (weeks 6-8) was characterized by a significant increase in systolic and diastolic BP that exceeded the corresponding parameters in Wistar-Kyoto rats by 26-32%. Vasodilatory activity of the endothelium was similar in rats of both strains at the age of 5-7 weeks. Stage 2 (weeks 9-12) in SHR rats was characterized by further increase in systolic and diastolic BP that exceeded the corresponding parameters in Wistar-Kyoto rats by 54-89%. The increase in BP during this period was accompanied by a significant decrease in endothelium-dependent relaxation (by 14-16% compared to that in Wistar-Kyoto rats of the same age).

The dynamics of arterial blood pressure and hematological parameters (RBC volume, RBC count, hematocrit) in young rats SHR and WKY strains in the period from the 5th to the 8th week after birth was investigated. At the age of 5 weeks, the levels of arterial blood pressure in rats studied strains were not significantly different. Starting from 6 weeks, systolic and diastolic blood pressure in SHR rats were significantly higher than the corresponding values of WKY rats of the same age. During the entire period of observation (from the 5th to 8th week) the number of red blood cells and hematocrit in SHR rats was significantly increased compared with the value of these parameters in WKY rats. Probably, an increased hematocrit can be one of the reasons of increasing the blood pressure in the early stages of hypertension development.

We have shown that rats with simulated hormone deficiency develop the hyperviscosity syndrome. Course intragastric administration (14 days) of the composition of extracts from red clover (100 mg/kg) and alfalfa (100 mg/kg) prevents the development of hyperviscosity syndrome in rats with hormone deficiency.

The administration of the extract from Rhaponticum carthamoides (150 mg/kg, p.o., for 10 days) in combination with dosed low-power exercise in rats with experimental myocardial infarction led to an improvement of hemorheological indices, which was manifested by a decrease in the whole blood viscosity, aggregation of erythrocytes, and increase in erythrocyte deformability. In particular, the extract from R. carthamoides contributed to an increase in the hematocrit/blood viscosity, which was indicative of an improvement of the blood overall oxygen transport capacity. In addition, administration of the extract in combination with dosed exercise favored normalization of the lactate and pyruvate concentrations in blood of rats with myocardial infarction.

The effect of flaxseed extract (FSE) containing 42% secoisolariciresinol diglucoside on the blood plasma estradiol level and theological properties of blood in female Wistar rats after ovariectomy was investigated by measuring hematocrit, fibrinogen concentration, platelet aggregation and deformability, and the whole blood and plasma viscosity. Bilateral ovariectomy in rats led (in comparison to sham-operated animals) to a decrease in the estrogen level to 59% and produced a 5-9% increase in the whole blood viscosity, which was caused by impairment of the erythrocyte deformability and aggregation. The efficacy of oxygen transport to tissues was decreased by 4-7%. The treatment of ovariectomized rats with FSE (peroral administration at a daily dose of 40 mg/kg for 14 days) reduced the whole blood viscosity by 4-11% and increased the coefficient of oxygen transport to tissues by 5-11%, but did not restore the estrogen level. Thus, the hemorheological effect of FSE reduces to the improvement of microrheological parameters (decrease in erythrocyte aggregation and increase in their deformability) without the modification ofmacrorheological parameters (hematocrit, plasma viscosity and fibrinogen level).