altitude diseases that are associated with significant morbidity and mortality, such as high-altitude pulmonary edema and heart diseases [3] . Echinacoside (ECH) (Figure 1) is a phenylethanoid glycoside found in a variety of Chinese herbs such as the Tibetan herb Lagotis brevituba Maxim and Cistanche tubulosa [4,5] . Lagotis brevituba Maxim is a species of Lagotis spp belonging to the Scrophulariaceae and grows widely at an altitude over 3000 meter in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. ECH has various desirable pharmacological characteristics, such as antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, hepatoprotective, and nitric oxide (NO) radical-scavenging properties [6] . It can also elicit endothelium-dependent relaxation in rat thoracic aortic rings and cure cardiovascular diseases [7] . HowEchinacoside induces rat pulmonary artery vasorelaxation by opening the NO-cGMP-PKG-BK Ca channels and reducing intracellular Ca 2+ levels Aim: Sustained pulmonary vasoconstriction as experienced at high altitude can lead to pulmonary hypertension (PH). The main purpose of this study is to investigate the vasorelaxant effect of echinacoside (ECH), a phenylethanoid glycoside from the Tibetan herb Lagotis brevituba Maxim and Cistanche tubulosa, on the pulmonary artery and its potential mechanism. Methods: Pulmonary arterial rings obtained from male Wistar rats were suspended in organ chambers filled with Krebs-Henseleit solution, and isometric tension was measured using a force transducer. Intracellular Ca 2+ levels were measured in cultured rat pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) using Fluo 4-AM. Results: ECH (30-300 μmol/L) relaxed rat pulmonary arteries precontracted by noradrenaline (NE) in a concentration-dependent manner, and this effect could be observed in both intact endothelium and endothelium-denuded rings, but with a significantly lower maximum response and a higher EC 50 in endothelium-denuded rings. This effect was significantly blocked by L-NAME, TEA, and BaCl 2 . However, IMT, 4-AP, and Gli did not inhibit ECH-induced relaxation. Under extracellular Ca 2+ -free conditions, the maximum contraction was reduced to 24.54%±2.97% and 10.60%±2.07% in rings treated with 100 and 300 μmol/L of ECH, respectively. Under extracellular calcium influx conditions, the maximum contraction was reduced to 112.42%±7.30%, 100.29%±8.66%, and 74.74%±4.95% in rings treated with 30, 100, and 300 μmol/L of ECH, respectively. After cells were loaded with Fluo 4-AM, the mean fluorescence intensity was lower in cells treated with ECH (100 μmol/L) than with NE. Conclusion: ECH suppresses NE-induced contraction of rat pulmonary artery via reducing intracellular Ca 2+ levels, and induces its relaxation through the NO-cGMP pathway and opening of K + channels (BK Ca and K IR ).