Dietary (-)-epicatechin lowers blood pressure in fructose-fed rats modulating nitric oxide bioavailability

LITTERIO MC; ADAMO AM; ELESGARAY R; COSTA MA; VAZQUEZ PRIETO MA; OTEIZA PI; GALLEANO M; FRAGA CG

Buenos Aires

Congreso; IV International Conference of Polyphenols and Health; 2013

Flavonoids have shown to be efficient decreasing blood pressure (BP) in human and animal models of metabolic síndrome (MS). This study examined the antihypertensive effect of dietary (-)-epicatechin (EC) in fructose-fed rats, a model of MS. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 3 groups: Control (C), Fructose (F) and Fructose + EC (FEC) groups. Fructose was administered in the drinking water (10% w/v) and EC was supplemented in a solid diet (20 mg/kg BW/d) during 8 w. The FEC group did not show the increase in BP observed in F group. Fructose treatment showed a significant increase in NADPH oxidase (NOX) subunits expression and NOX activity in aorta, however these changes were not present in FEC group. The modifications in NOX subunits were produced essentially in the intima and adventitia layers. The expression of phophorylated endothelial nitric oxide synthase (NOS) was significantly increased in F and FEC groups. However, EC treatment showed a higher NOS activity than F group. To conclude, EC normalized the increase in BP associated with in vivo fructose overload treatment. This effect could be related to the attenuation in superoxide anion production through the inhibition of NOX expression and activity and the increase in NOS activity and therefore increasing nitric oxide bioavailability.