The pH Increasing Effect of Wuluh Starfruit (Averrhoa bilimbi L.) Juice on Vasodilatasion Activity

Abstract

Wuluh Starfruit (Averrhoa bilimbi L.) is Oxalidaceae family which can be used as an antihypertensive drug by ethnomedicine. A. bilimbi fruit juice is proven to lower blood pressure in preclinical testing and limited phase I clinical trials, where the mechanism of action is through vasodilatation of blood vessels. The taste of juice is very acid, but there is no information about the effect of pH increasing of juice on vasodilatation activity of blood vessels. In this research, A. bilimbi fruits were made into juice, filtered and centrifuged to get the supernatant. The pH of juice was increased by NaOH and KOH addition. Vasodilatation actuivity of juice was tested on isolated organ of the aortic ring with endothelium. The control that used was Kreb’s-Heselheit solution with a pH approaching the tested juice solution. The result showed that an increase in the pH of A. bilimbi fruit juice caused a decrease in vasodilatation activity. The type of solution to increase the pH of the juice also affected the changes in vasodilatation activity. It can be concluded that the pH increasing on juice of A. Bilimbi fruit can decrease vasodilatation activity in isolated organ of aortic ring with endothelium. Keyword: Averrhoa bilimbi L; fruit; In vitro; pH; vasodilatation