Augmentation of ferulic acid-induced vasorelaxation with aging and its structure importance in thoracic aorta of spontaneously hypertensive rats

Abstract

Aging deteriorates vascular functions such as vascular reactivity and stiffness. Thus far, various reports suggest that bioactive compounds can improve vascular functions. However, few age-related studies of natural bioactive compounds are available. The present study attempted to evaluate age-related vasorelaxation of bioactive cinnamic acids, caffeic acid, and ferulic acid using aged rat thoracic aorta. Vasorelaxation was evaluated in thoracic aorta from both 8, 18, and 40 weeks old Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY) and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) respectively. The result indicated that caffeic acid possessed the vasorelaxation regardless of aging in WKY and SHR. Moreover, the vasorelaxation of ferulic acid enhanced with aging in SHR. The vasorelaxation behavior was acted in an endothelium-independent manner. To access structure importance of enhanced vasorelaxation, analogues of ferulic acid were tested. In 40 weeks old SHR, 3,4-dimethoxycinnamic acid and coniferyl alcohol exhibited equivalent vasorelaxation activity with ferulic acid, providing the structural importance of methoxy-modified 3-position on the phenyl ring and 2-propenoic moiety. These results firstly demonstrated that enhanced vasorelaxation of ferulic acid with aging and 3,4-dimethoxycinnamic acid and coniferyl alcohol, along with ferulic acid, might exhibit the therapeutic potential of vasoactive power with aging.

On the vasoprotective mechanisms underlying novel β-phosphorylated nitrones: Focus on free radical characterization, scavenging and NO-donation in a biological model of oxidative stress

“…-scavengers (Table 4) and show very weak NO-donating potency 20 ( Figure 4B). Indeed, the key structural feature of derivatives 4h,i is a 3-methoxyphenyl group, whose presence in the ferulic and sinapic acids structures was reported to confer improved relaxant activity as compared to caffeic acid in rat aortic rings [60]. In this connection, a bioactive effect involving inhibition of endothelial NADPH oxidase ROS formation was demonstrated for a wide series of 3-methoxyphenyl substituted flavonoids and phenolics [61].…”

Implication of dietary phenolic acids on inflammation in cardiovascular disease

“…These observations could be due to the suppression of oxidative stress by down-regulation of p47phox, increased NO bioavailability with up-regulation of eNOS and suppression of TNF-α (Senaphan et al, 2015). Moreover, ferulic acid also imposes an endothelium independent vasorelaxation effect on aging and spontaneously hypertensive rats (Fukuda et al, 2015).…”

N-Carbamylglutamate Improves Reproductive Performance and Alters Fecal Microbiota and Serum Metabolites of Primiparous Sows during Gestation after Fixed-Time Artificial Insemination

“…In this study, NCG increased the serum NCG level and the levels of other antioxidant metabolites (ferulic acid and citric acid) in sows subjected to FTAI. Ferulic acid is a phenolic antioxidant extracted from plants, mainly from whole grains, spinach, grapes, rhubarb, and cereal seeds, which has been shown to have a variety of physiological functions, including antioxidant [ 48 ], anti-inflammatory [ 49 ], anticancer [ 50 ], and vasodilatory activities [ 51 ]. During gestation, ferulic acid has been reported to alleviate preeclampsia [ 52 ] and gestational diabetes mellitus by relieving oxidative stress and reducing the inflammatory response [ 53 ].…”