The blood pressure effect and related plasma levels of flavan-3-ols in spontaneously hypertensive rats

Mar Quiñones; Maria Margalef; Anna Arola-Arnal; Begoña Muguerza; Marta Miguel; Amaya Aleixandre

doi:10.1039/C5FO00547G

The blood pressure effect and related plasma levels of flavan-3-ols in spontaneously hypertensive rats

Mar Quiñones,†*^a Maria Margalef,^b Anna Arola-Arnal,^b Begoña Muguerza,*^bc Marta Miguel^d and Amaya Aleixandre^a

* Corresponding authors

^a Dpto. Farmacología, Fac. Medicina, U. Complutense, Avda. Complutense s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain
E-mail: mar.quinones@usc.es
Fax: +34-91-3941463
Tel: +34-91-3941475

^b Nutrigenomic Group, Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Rovira i Virgili University, Tarragona, Spain
E-mail: begona.muguerza@urv.cat
Fax: +34 977 55 82 32
Tel: +34 977 55 95 66

^c Centre Tecnològic de Nutrició i Salut (CTNS), TECNIO, CEICS, Reus, Spain

^d Instituto de Investigación en Ciencias de Alimentación (CIAL, CSIC-UAM, CEI UAM+CSIC), Madrid, Spain

Abstract

We studied the short-term antihypertensive effect of flavan-3-ols (−)-epicatechin, (+)-catechin and (−)-catechin, in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Plasma metabolites and the corresponding plasma antioxidant capacity were determined. All the assayed flavan-3-ols decreased systolic blood pressure (SBP) in SHR. Their antihypertensive effects were less pronounced than that of Captopril (50 mg kg⁻¹) and were not shown in normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats. 6 mg kg⁻¹ (−)-epicatechin caused the maximum decrease in SBP. The maximum effects of the catechin monomers were observed post-administration of 0.5 mg kg⁻¹ of flavan-3-ols, (−)-catechin being the least effective among the three assayed compounds. Glucuronide and methyl glucuronide metabolites were obtained in the flavan-3-ol treated SHR, but it was not possible to relate the antihypertensive effect of the assayed flavan-3-ols with a concrete plasma metabolite or with their antioxidant effect. In conclusion, the studied flavan-3-ols could be responsible for the antihypertensive effect of cocoa products.

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The blood pressure effect and related plasma levels of flavan-3-ols in spontaneously hypertensive rats

Abstract

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