IBIMOL   23987
INSTITUTO DE BIOQUIMICA Y MEDICINA MOLECULAR PROFESOR ALBERTO BOVERIS
Unidad Ejecutora - UE
congresos y reuniones científicas
Título:
Epicatechin-containing diets modulate blood pressure and oxidative stress in L-NAME treated rats
Autor/es:
M. GALLEANO; G. SAGDICOGLU CELEP; G. JAGGERS; Y. OMATA; C. G. FRAGA
Lugar:
Beijing, China
Reunión:
Congreso; XIV Biennial Meeting of the Society for Free Radical Research International; 2008
Institución organizadora:
Society for Free Radical Research International
Resumen:
Flavanols and their oligomers (procyanidins) are naturally occurring plant compounds, which biological effects could explain some of the cardiovascular benefits linked to the consumption of fruit and vegetables. Dietary intervention studies in humans and animals indicate that flavanol-rich foods, i.e. wine, tea, and chocolate may exert blood pressure (BP) lowering effects in humans and rats. Recent reports have shown that such BP decrease could be dependent on NO production, although the mechanisms and the fruit and vegetable components responsible of such associations remain unclear. Hypertension was induced in male Wistar rats were made hypertensive by treatment with the NO-synthase inhibitor L-NAME (360 mg/l in the drinking water, about 10 mg/rat/day). The addition of (-)-epicatechin in the diet (0.2-4.0 mg/g diet) significantly modulated the L-NAME-dependent increase in BP. EC had an antihypertensive effect that was observed when EC was administered simultaneously with L-NAME, or after L-NAME–induced hypertension was already established. The EC effect was dose-dependent, and disappeared with the removal of EC from the diet. The decrease in BP was associated with the presence of EC in plasma plus the improvement in markers of oxidative damage, i.e. malondialdehyde and oxidized glutathione. Based on these results and previous work, we hypothesize that the effects of EC are consistent with the modulation of oxidant production which allows a NO steady-state which finally result in the antihypertensive effect. If this hypothesis is physiologically relevant, it will provide an insight on how flavanol-containing nutrients are involved in the regulation of tissue NO availability and cell redox state, and subsequently in the prevention of the onset or progression of hypertension and associated diseases.