os. Glycine intake decreases plasma free fatty acids, adipose cell size, and blood pressure in sucrose-fed rats. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 287: R1387-R1393, 2004. First published August 26, 2004 doi:10.1152/ajpregu.00159.2004The study investigated the mechanism by which glycine protects against increased circulating nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA), fat cell size, intra-abdominal fat accumulation, and blood pressure (BP) induced in male Wistar rats by sucrose ingestion. The addition of 1% glycine to the drinking water containing 30% sucrose, for 4 wk, markedly reduced high BP in sucrose-fed rats (SFR) (122.3 Ϯ 5.6 vs. 147.6 Ϯ 5.4 mmHg in SFR without glycine, P Ͻ 0.001). Decreases in plasma triglyceride (TG) levels (0.9 Ϯ 0.3 vs. 1.4 Ϯ 0.3 mM, P Ͻ 0.001), intra-abdominal fat (6.8 Ϯ 2.16 vs. 14.8 Ϯ 4.0 g, P Ͻ 0.01), and adipose cell size were observed in SFR treated with glycine compared with SFR without treatment. Total NEFA concentration in the plasma of SFR was significantly decreased by glycine intake (0.64 Ϯ 0.08 vs. 1.11 Ϯ 0.09 mM in SFR without glycine, P Ͻ 0.001). In control animals, glycine decreased glucose, TGs, and total NEFA but without reaching significance. In SFR treated with glycine, mitochondrial respiration, as an indicator of the rate of fat oxidation, showed an increase in the state IV oxidation rate of the ␤-oxidation substrates octanoic acid and palmitoyl carnitine. This suggests an enhancement of hepatic fatty acid metabolism, i.e., in their transport, activation, or ␤-oxidation. These findings imply that the protection by glycine against elevated BP might be attributed to its effect in increasing fatty acid oxidation, reducing intra-abdominal fat accumulation and circulating NEFA, which have been proposed as links between obesity and hypertension. obesity; mitochondrial oxygen uptake; fatty acid oxidation OBESITY is a significant human health problem; its incidence is reaching epidemic proportions in many Western countries (2, 31). Obesity with fat accumulation predominantly in the abdominal cavity is more frequently associated with disorders of glucose and lipid metabolism than is subcutaneous fat obesity (6, 17). It is well known that increased intra-abdominal fat accumulation is also associated with elevated circulating nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA) (33), resulting from the increased lipolytic activity in adipose tissue. High levels of circulating NEFA have been assumed to be a possible link between intra-abdominal fat accumulation and elevated blood pressure (BP) (9,34,46,49).Several factors are known to be involved in the development of intra-abdominal adiposity in both humans and animals, including genetic and environmental factors, such as excessive fat or carbohydrate intake and lack of physical exercise (8, 44). Thus several animal models of obesity have been developed to investigate the mechanism by which obesity induces hypertension, hyperinsulinemia, and insulin resistance.In our laboratory, we developed an animal model of intraabdominal fat accumulation, indu...

This study investigated the association between nephropathy and oxidative stress, by measurement of systolic blood pressure, lipid peroxidation, activities of catalase, manganese- and copper-zinc-superoxide dismutase and endothelial nitric oxide synthase expression and concentrations of nitrates/nitrites in kidneys from rats with Metabolic Syndrome. Weaning female or male rats had 30% sucrose to drink for 24 weeks (Metabolic Syndrome). Modulation by sex hormones was investigated by gonadectomy and hormone replacement. In Metabolic Syndrome, Castrated Metabolic Syndrome + Testosterone males and Ovariectomized Metabolic Syndrome females had increased blood pressure, proteinuria and lipid peroxidation. Nitrates/nitrites and activities of catalase, manganese and copper-zinc-superoxide dismutase decreased vs intact Control, Castrated Metabolic Syndrome males, intact Metabolic Syndrome and Ovariectomized Metabolic Syndrome + Estradiol females. The results suggest that sex hormones modulate the activity of superoxide-dismutase, catalase and endothelial nitric oxide-synthase. Ovariectomy decreased the protection against oxidative stress in females; the opposite occurred in castrated males.

Metabolic syndrome (MS) is an obesity-associated collection of disorders, each of which contributes to cardiovascular risk. For patients with MS, it is difficult to follow a diet/exercise regime that would improve their symptoms. Therefore, the investigation of agents that may deal with its more serious aspects is an important medical field for research. Numerous experimental studies have confirmed the important role of medicinal plants or their active components in the prevention and treatment, and in lowering risk factors of MS. As oxidative stress and inflammation are involved in the association between obesity, insulin resistance (IR) and hypertension, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory plant components like polyphenols might be useful as a treatment for MS. The aqueous extract of Hibiscus Sabdariffa L (HSE), rich in several polyphenols, is commonly and effectively used in native medicines against hypertension, diabetes and liver disorders. HSE has also shown therapeutic promise in the prevention of MS in patients, probably due to its polyphenol content. Curcumins, derived from the spice turmeric, and resveratrol, polyphenols found in grapes and red wine respectively, in addition to their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, inhibit preadipocyte proliferation, de novo lipogenesis and fat accumulation in liver. Thus, due to their efficacy in the regulation of multiple targets, polyphenols have received considerable interest as potential therapeutic agents for the prevention and treatment of MS. This review discusses the therapeutic use of HSE, as well as curcumin and resveratrol, in the context of obesity as an initiator of insulin resistance and hypertension, the two main features of MS, together with the underlying mechanisms of action.

It has not been definitely established whether elevated circulating triglyceride-rich lipoproteins constitute an independent risk factor for hypertension, atherosclerosis, myocardial infarction, and coronary heart disease. To investigate some aspects of the physiopathology of this lipid metabolism abnormality, a model of experimental hypertriglyceridemia and hypertension in rats was studied. The animals received commercially refined sugar (30%) in their drinking water during a period of 12 to 17 weeks. Monthly measurements of blood pressure and serum triglycerides were taken during and at the end of the treatment period; the levels of glucose and insulin were also determined. The blood, the aorta, and mesenteric artery were removed. Age- and weight-matched controls were used. The reactivity of the isolated vessels to norepinephrine and acetylcholine and the effect of control and hypertriglyceridemic serum on the same preparations were investigated. In hypertriglyceridemic rats, the response to acetylcholine in the tissues was reduced compared to the control arteries; the hypertriglyceridemic serum elicited contractions that were greater than those induced by control serum. The impaired response of hypertriglyceridemic tissue to the vasodilator and the effect of the hypertriglyceridemic serum on artery contraction suggest that the overall dyslipidemia could contribute to a chronic increase in vascular tone and, consequently, to hypertension.

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The use of glycine to lower high blood pressure could have a significant clinical impact in patients with the metabolic syndrome and with limited resources. On the other hand, more studies are needed to explore the beneficial effect of glycine in other models of hypertension and to investigate possible side-effects of treatment with glycine.

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SUMMARY1. The rates of entry of twenty of the blood amino acids into skeletal muscle of living rats were measured directly by means of a technique which ensured that a steady concentration of a radioactively labelled amino acid is reached rapidly and is maintained in the bloodstream.2. The rates of entry were measured in experiments of short duration to avoid possible artifacts caused by amino acids leaving the muscle or by their metabolism.3. The entry rate of each amino acid increased in direct proportion to its concentration in the blood plasma over the physiological range.4. The various amino acids had widely different rates of entry. These rates could not be correlated with the physicochemical properties of the amino acids.5. Two amino acids, L-lysine and L-threonine, enter muscle against a concentration gradient, while in the case of a third, L-arginine, the blood concentration was raised high enough to induce saturation of the entry mechanism.6. It is concluded that entry takes place in vivo by means of carriermediated transport processes with a high degree of specificity.7. When the concentration of an amino acid in the bloodstream was increased to about twice normal the proportion of the additional amino acid that was taken up rapidly by the muscle was large enough, especially for the essential amino acids, to suggest that the tissue constitutes a quantitatively important storage system helping to regulate the concentrations of amino acids in the bloodstream.