Hepato- and cardioprotective effects of Baccharis trimera (Less.) DC. against multiple risk factors for chronic noncommunicable diseases

Abstract

Cardiovascular diseases are associated with high morbidity and mortality worldwide and have several risk factors, including dyslipidemia, smoking, and hypertension. Studies have evaluated isolated risk factors in experimental models of cardiovascular disease, but few preclinical studies have assessed associations between multiple risk factors. In the present study, hypertensive Wistar rats (Goldblatt 2K1C model) received a 0.5% cholesterol diet and were exposed to tobacco smoke for 8 weeks.During the last 4 weeks, the animals were treated with vehicle, an ethanol-soluble fraction of B. trimera (30, 100, and 300 mg/kg), or simvastatin + enalapril. A group of normotensive, non-dyslipidemic, and non-smoking rats was treated with vehicle. The levels of aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, urea, creatinine, and hepatic and fecal lipids, blood pressure, and mesenteric arterial bed reactivity were evaluated. Cardiac, hepatic, and renal histopathology and tecidual redox state were also investigated. Untreated animals exhibited signifi cant changes in blood pressure, lipid profi le, and biomarkers of heart, liver, and kidney damage. Treatment with B. trimera reversed these changes, with effects that were similar to simvastatin + enalapril. These fi ndings suggest that B. trimera may be promising for the treatment of cardiovascular and hepatic disorders, especially disorders that are associated with multiple risk factors.

Croton urucurana Baill. Ameliorates Metabolic Associated Fatty Liver Disease in Rats

“…While exerting its lipid-lowering effects, C. urucurana did not cause liver damage, an adverse effect, that is, observed with drugs from the statin class ( Meurer and Cohen, 2020 ). As expected, several animal models of MAFLD and alcoholic fatty liver disease have revealed increases in AST and ALT levels ( Lívero et al, 2014 , 2016 ; Barbosa et al, 2020 ; Souza et al, 2020 ; Mendes et al, 2021 ). The therapeutic effects of medicinal plants in reversing this increase in markers of liver damage are well described in the literature, especially the beneficial effects of flavonoids, glycosides, and alkaloids ( Ling et al, 2020 ; Zhang et al, 2020 ; Han et al, 2021 ; Niu et al, 2021 ; Ore et al, 2021 ; Sahlan et al, 2021 ).…”

“…However, despite the clinical relevance, most preclinical studies over the past few decades have addressed hypertension, smoking, dyslipidemia, and MAFLD in an isolated manner. Only recently, some models have been proposed that consider the synergistic contribution of these risk factors to the onset of MAFLD ( Barbosa et al, 2020 ; Souza et al, 2020 ; Mendes et al, 2021 ). The present study supports further comprehensive research that seeks to reproduce the disease that occurs in humans in a more reliable way.…”

Multiple Risk Factors for Heart Disease: A Challenge to the Ethnopharmacological Use of Croton urucurana Baill.

“…When combinations of these risk factors are present, synergistic effects can occur that further aggravate the course of cardiovascular disease [ 32 , 33 ]. Despite the well-established association between multiple risk factors and heart disease, animal models that combine the main risk factors are scarce [ 20 , 22 , 33 ]. Thus, the use of scientifically validated preclinical models is essential to investigate and validate potential ethnobotanical candidates.…”

“…The choice of the animal species, sample size, and extract doses was based on Mendes et al [ 22 ]. For 10 weeks, the animals received standard commercial food that was enriched with 0.5% cholesterol ad libitum .…”

“…For 10 weeks, the animals received standard commercial food that was enriched with 0.5% cholesterol ad libitum . They were exposed to smoke from nine commercial cigarettes (0.8 mg nicotine, 10 mg tar, and 10 mg carbon monoxide) for 1 h daily, 5 days weekly, for 10 weeks, as proposed by Mendes et al [ 22 ]. During the last 5 weeks of the experiment, the animals were treated orally by gavage with vehicle (0.1 ml of filtered water/100 g body weight; negative control [C−] group), the ethanol-soluble fraction of Croton urucurana (30, 100, and 300 mg/kg), or enalapril (15 mg/kg) + simvastatin (2.5 mg/kg) once daily.…”