Dietary CQA reduces oxidative stress and improves nitric oxide bioavailability by inhibiting excessive production of reactive oxygen species in the vasculature, and leads to the attenuation of endothelial dysfunction, vascular hypertrophy, and hypertension in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

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Ferulic acid restores endothelial function through enhancing the bioavailability of basal and stimulated NO in SHR aortas. The results explain, in part, the mechanisms underlying the effects of FA on blood pressure (BP) in SHR.

Summary Glucosyl hesperidin (G-hesperidin) is a water-soluble derivative of hesperidin. In the present study, the short-term effects of G-hesperidin and hesperetin, a putative metabolite of G-hesperidin, in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and in normotensive WistarKyoto rats (WKY) were investigated. Single oral administration of G-hesperidin (10 to 50 mg/kg) induced a dose-dependent reduction in systolic blood pressure (SBP) in SHR, but had no effects in WKY. Intraperitoneal injection of hesperetin (50 mg/kg) into SHR also caused a significant reduction in SBP. The depressor effect was significantly inhibited by a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, N G -nitro-L -arginine methyl ester. Moreover, hesperetin (10 Ϫ 5 M ) enhanced endothelium-dependent relaxation induced by acetylcholine, but had no effect on endothelium-independent relaxation induced by sodium nitroprusside in isolated aortas from SHR. These data suggest that the hypotensive effect of hesperetin in SHR is associated with nitric oxide-mediated vasodilation. Therefore, this effect may be involved in the mechanisms by which G-hesperidin lowers blood pressure in hypertension.

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; and The Z-score Project 2nd Stage Study Group IMPORTANCE Few studies with sufficient statistical power have shown the association of the z score of the coronary arterial internal diameter with coronary events (CE) in patients with Kawasaki disease (KD) with coronary artery aneurysms (CAA). OBJECTIVE To clarify the association of the z score with time-dependent CE occurrence in patients with KD with CAA. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This multicenter, collaborative retrospective cohort study of 44 participating institutions included 1006 patients with KD younger than 19 years who received a coronary angiography between 1992 and 2011. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The time-dependent occurrence of CE, including thrombosis, stenosis, obstruction, acute ischemic events, and coronary interventions, was analyzed for small (z score, <5), medium (z score, Ն5 to <10; actual internal diameter, <8 mm), and large (z score, Ն10 or Ն8 mm) CAA by the Kaplan-Meier method. The Cox proportional hazard regression model was used to identify risk factors for CE after adjusting for age, sex, size, morphology, number of CAA, resistance to initial intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) therapy, and antithrombotic medications. RESULTS Of 1006 patients, 714 (71%) were male, 341 (34%) received a diagnosis before age 1 year, 501 (50%) received a diagnosis between age 1 and 5 years, and 157 (16%) received a diagnosis at age 5 years or older. The 10-year event-free survival rate for CE was 100%, 94%, and 52% in men (P < .001) and 100%, 100%, and 75% in women (P < .001) for small, medium, and large CAA, respectively. The CE-free rate was 100%, 96%, and 79% in patients who were not resistant to IVIG therapy (P < .001) and 100%, 96%, and 51% in patients who were resistant to IVIG therapy (P < .001), respectively. Cox regression analysis revealed that large CAA (hazard ratio, 8.9; 95% CI, 5.1-15.4), male sex (hazard ratio, 2.8; 95% CI, 1.7-4.8), and resistance to IVIG therapy (hazard ratio, 2.2; 95% CI, 1.4-3.6) were significantly associated with CE. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Classification using the internal diameter z score is useful for assessing the severity of CAA in relation to the time-dependent occurrence of CE and associated factors in patients with KD. Careful management of CE is necessary for all patients with KD with CAA, especially men and IVIG-resistant patients with a large CAA.

Orally ingested hesperidin (HES) is hydrolyzed into hesperetin in the gastrointestinal tract and conjugated during absorption. Hesperetin conjugates are the main circulating metabolites in human and rat plasma. We previously reported that glucosyl hesperidin (GHES), a water-soluble HES derivative, prevents hypertension via improvement of endothelial dysfunction in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs). Although these hesperetin conjugates seem to be responsible for hypotensive and endothelium-dependent vasodilatory activities of dietary GHES, little is known about the mechanisms of action of these conjugated metabolites. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of hesperetin-7-O-β-d-glucuronide (HPT7G) and hesperetin-3'-O-β-d-glucuronide (HPT3'G), which are the predominant HES metabolites in rat plasma, on blood pressure and endothelial function. Intravenous administration of HPT7G (5 mg kg(-1)) decreased blood pressure in anesthetized SHRs. HPT7G enhanced endothelium-dependent vasodilation in response to acetylcholine, but had no effect on endothelium-independent vasodilation in response to sodium nitroprusside (SNP) in aortas isolated from SHRs. HPT7G decreased hydrogen peroxide-induced intracellular adhesion molecule-1 and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 mRNA expression in rat aortic endothelial cells. In contrast, HPT3'G had little effect on these parameters. In conclusion, HPT7G exerted hypotensive, vasodilatory and anti-inflammatory activities, similar to hesperetin and these effects are associated, in part, with the activity of GHES and HES to improve hypertension and endothelial dysfunction.

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