Açaí Reverses Adverse Cardiovascular Remodeling in Renovascular Hypertension: A Comparative Effect With Enalapril

Abstract

This study aimed to determine if açai seed extract (ASE) could reverse pre-existing cardiovascular and renal injury in an experimental model of renovascular hypertension (2 kidney, 1 clip, 2K1C). Young male rats (Wistar) were used to obtain 2K1C and sham groups. Animals received the vehicle, ASE (200 mg/kg/d), or enalapril (30 mg/kg/d) in drinking water from the third to sixth week after surgery. We evaluated systolic blood pressure by tail plethysmography, vascular reactivity in the rat isolated mesenteric arterial bed (MAB), serum and urinary parameters, plasma inflammatory cytokines by ELISA, MAB expression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase and its active form peNOS by Western blot, plasma and MAB oxidative damage and antioxidant activity by spectrophotometry, and vascular and cardiac structural changes by histological analysis. ASE and enalapril reduced the systolic blood pressure, restored the endothelial and renal functions, and decreased the inflammatory cytokines and the oxidative stress in 2K1C rats. Furthermore, both treatments reduced vascular and cardiac remodeling. ASE substantially reduced cardiovascular remodeling and recovered endothelial dysfunction in 2K1C rats probably through its antihypertensive, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory actions, supplying a natural resource for the treatment of renovascular hypertension.

Nobiletin resolves left ventricular and renal changes in 2K-1C hypertensive rats

“…However, nobiletin treatment alleviated LV abnormalities in 2K-1C hypertensive rats. This finding is consistent with a previous review showing that LV hypertrophy and fibrosis are commonly found in pathologic hearts, contributing to LV dysfunction 42 , 43 . Cardiac hypertrophy is mainly caused by an adaptive response to chronic high-pressure load to preserve cardiac output 44 .…”

Oxidative Stress as a Therapeutic Target of Cardiac Remodeling

“…After açai supplementation, myocardial infarction rats had a lower concentration of MDA, an oxidative stress marker, and cardiac remodeling [ 45 ]. Similar results were found with açai seed extract in the renovascular hypertension animal model and obese high-fat diet-fed mice, demonstrating a protective effect in cardiovascular diseases probably due to its antioxidant properties [ 43 , 44 ]. Orange juice ( Citrus sinensis ), grape seed extract, and jaboticaba ( Myrciaria jaboticaba ), fruits with antioxidant components, also attenuated cardiac remodeling after myocardial infarction in rats [ 46 , 47 , 48 ].…”

“…Indeed, studies with different diets and natural food rich in antioxidants have investigated its role in preventing and treating cardiovascular diseases [ 15 ]. Recently, three experimental studies evaluated the role of açai, a fruit rich in polyphenols, in different models of cardiovascular disease in rats [ 43 , 44 , 45 ]. After açai supplementation, myocardial infarction rats had a lower concentration of MDA, an oxidative stress marker, and cardiac remodeling [ 45 ].…”

Açaí (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) in Health and Disease: A Critical Review

“…Thus, the authors concluded that açaí oil is antihypertriglyceridemic, anticholesterolemic, and advantageous in the treatment of dyslipidemia [ 107 ]. For this reason, açaí oil may also have potential as a preventive agent for CVDs [ 20 , 120 ].…”