Vascular smooth muscle relaxation by a lectin from Pisum arvense: evidences of endothelial NOS pathway.

The vasorelaxant effect of the lectin of Pisum arvense (PAL) seeds was investigated in rat aorta. PAL (10-100 µg/ml) was applied on aorta rings, with or without endothelium, pre-contracted with phenylephrine (Phe; 0.1 µM).