Dietary (-)-epicatechin ameliorated cardiac and renal oxidative modifications in an experimental model of metabolic syndrome

FRAGA CG; CALABRÓ V; PRINCE PD; ASCHETTINO G; FISCHERMAN L; VAZQUEZ PRIETO MA; GALLEANO M; PIOTRKOWSKI B

Simposio; The 6th International Niigata Symposium on Diet and Health; 2012

Increasing evidences indicates that several mechanisms associated or not with antioxidant actions, are involved in the effects of flavonoids on health. Flavonoid-rich beverages, foods, and extracts, as well as pure flavonoids are studied for the prevention and/or amelioration of metabolic syndrome (MS) and MS-asoociated diseases, such as cardiovascular and renal diseases. Chocolate and cocoa products are rich in flavanols, a particular flavonoid subfamily, essentially in monomers such as (-)-epicatechin (EC) and (+)-epicatechin. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of one of those spcecif compounds, EC, on cardiovascular and renal alterations present in an experimental model of MS in rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three groups and received for 8 w: i)control diet and tap water (Control Group: C); ii)control diet and 10% (w/v) fructose in drinking water (Fructose Group: F); and iii) 10% (w/v) fructose in drinking water, and the diet suplemented with EC (20 mg/Kg BW/d) (Fructose + (-)-epicatechin Group: FEC). Fructose overload leads to increased systolic blood pressure, and EC prevented that increase (C=130±4; F=142±3*;FEC=133±3 mmHg; *p