@misc{10481/54988,
year = {2018},
month = {8},
url = {http://hdl.handle.net/10481/54988},
abstract = {Many studies have shown that flavonoids are effective as antihypertensive drugs in arterial
hypertension. In the present work, we have analyzed the effects of some flavonoid extracts in the
spontaneous hypertensive rat model (SHR). An important feature of this study is that we have used a
low dose, far from those that are usually applied in human therapy or experimental animals, a dose
that responded to the criterion of a potential future commercial use in human subjects. Treatments
were carried out for 6 and 12 weeks in two groups of SHR rats, which received apigenin, lemon
extract, grapefruit + bitter orange (GBO) extracts, and cocoa extract. Captopril was used as a positive
control in the SHR group treated for 6 weeks (SHR6) and Diosmin was used as the industry reference
in the SHR group treated for 12 weeks (SHR12). Captopril and GBO extracts lowered the high arterial
pressure of the SHR6 animals, but none of the extracts were effective in the SHR12 group. Apigenin,
lemon extract (LE), GBO, and captopril also improved aortic vascular relaxation and increased plasma
and urinary excretion of nitrites, but only in the SHR6 group. Kidney and urinary thiobarbituric acid
reactive substances (TBARS) were also significantly reduced by GBO in the SHR6 rats. Apigenin also
improved vascular relaxation in the SHR12 group and all the flavonoids studied reduced urinary
thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) excretion and proteinuria. Vascular abnormalities,
such as lumen/wall ratio in heart arteries and thoracic aorta, were moderately improved by these
treatments in the SHR6 group. In conclusion, the flavonoid-rich extracts included in this study,
especially apigenin, LE and GBO improved vascular vasodilatory function of young adult SHRs but
only the GBO-treated rats benefited from a reduction in blood pressure. These extracts may be used
as functional food ingredients with a moderate therapeutic benefit, especially in the early phases of
arterial hypertension.},
organization = {This report was supported by a grant from the National Spanish R & D Program CENIT of the Spanish
Ministry of Science and Technology denominated “Industrial research diets and food with specific features for the
elderly”, CEN-20091006; Acronym: SENIFOOD.},
publisher = {MDPI},
keywords = {Flavonoids},
keywords = {Nitric oxide},
keywords = {Heart},
keywords = {Kidney},
keywords = {Sodium balance},
keywords = {Phenylephrine},
keywords = {Acetylcholine},
title = {Moderate Effect of Flavonoids on Vascular and Renal Function in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats},
author = {Paredes, María D. and Romecín, Paola and Atucha, Noemí M. and O'Valle Ravassa, Francisco Javier and Castillo, Julián and Ortiz, María Clara and García-Estañ, Joaquín},
}