Altered Gut Microbiota is Involved in the Anti‐Hypertensive Effects of Vitamin C in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rat

Abstract

Scope Gut dysbiosis and dysregulation of the gut‐brain‐axis contributes to the pathogenesis of hypertension. Vitamin C (VC) is a common dietary supplement that shows the ability to lower the elevated blood pressure in hypertensive animals. Thus, the hypothesis that the gut microbiota is involved in the anti‐hypertensive effect of VC is proposed. Methods and Results The changes of the gut microbiota and pathology in a spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) model after daily oral intake of VC in dosage of 200 or 1000 mg kg−1 are examined. After 4 weeks, the elevated blood pressure of SHRs in both VC‐treated groups is attenuated. Sequencing of the gut microbiota shows improvement in its diversity and abundance. Bioinformatic analysis suggests restored metabolism and biosynthesis‐related functions of the gut, which are confirmed by the improvement of gut pathology and integrity. Analysis of the hypothalamus paraventricular nucleus (PVN), the central pivot of blood pressure regulation, also shows reduced inflammatory responses and oxidative stress. Conclusions The reduced blood pressure, enriched gut microbiota, improved gut pathology and integrity, and reduced inflammatory responses and oxidative stress in the PVN together suggest that the anti‐hypertensive effects of VC involve reshaping of gut microbiota composition and function.

Modulation of Gut Microbiota for the Prevention and Treatment of COVID-19

“…Vitamin C supplementation can improve gut microbiota and butyrate production [77]. In an animal model, vitamin C improved hypertension, which is a risk factor for severe COVID-19, through improvements in the gut microbiota, gut integrity, and reducing inflammatory sequelae [78,79]. [80] and others have reported that deficiency of vitamin D is associated with susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infections, severity of COVID-19, and mortality rate [1,79,81].…”

“…In an animal model, vitamin C improved hypertension, which is a risk factor for severe COVID-19, through improvements in the gut microbiota, gut integrity, and reducing inflammatory sequelae [78,79]. [80] and others have reported that deficiency of vitamin D is associated with susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infections, severity of COVID-19, and mortality rate [1,79,81]. Katz et al (2021) examined the strength of such an association and found that vitamin D deficiency increased the likelihood of positive COVID-19 by 4.6 times [81].…”

Na+/K+-ATPase Alpha 2 Isoform Elicits Rac1-Dependent Oxidative Stress and TLR4-Induced Inflammation in the Hypothalamic Paraventricular Nucleus in High Salt-Induced Hypertension

“…The procedure of real-time PCR has been described previously [ 31 , 32 ]. Briefly, rat brains were isolated and cut into coronal sections (−0.92 mm to −2.13 mm posterior to bregma).…”

Prevotella histicola Mitigated Estrogen Deficiency-Induced Depression via Gut Microbiota-Dependent Modulation of Inflammation in Ovariectomized Mice

“…Systemic administration of proinflammatory cytokines IL-1β or LPS induced a notable reduction in hippocampal BDNF content in depressive rats ( 29 , 30 ), with similar results that found in depressive patients exhibiting a decrease in neuroinflammation-induced BDNF ( 31 ). Intestinal microbiota studies indicate that dysbiosis may be a contributing factor to the decreased expression of BDNF among depressive mice through inflammatory activation caused by dysbiosis-induced gut leakage ( 32 , 33 ).…”