Effects of Aqueous Extract of Lycopersicum esculentum L. var. “Camone” Tomato on Blood Pressure, Behavior and Brain Susceptibility to Oxidative Stress in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats

Abstract

Behavioral disorders affect millions of people worldwide. Hypertension contributes to both the development and progression of brain damage and cognitive dysfunction and could represent the most powerful modifiable risk factor for cerebral vessel dysfunction and consequent behavioral impairment. Tomato contains antioxidants and bioactive molecules that might play an important role in the prevention of cardiovascular and brain diseases. The effects of the combined gel and serum from Lycopersicum esculentum L. var. “Camone” tomatoes and those of purified tomato glycoalkaloids (tomatine) and an antihypertensive drug (captopril) were investigated in male spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) and compared with normotensive Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rats. Body weight, systolic blood pressure, behavioral parameters, as well as brain susceptibility to oxidative stress and brain cytokine contents, were assessed. Treating hypertensive rats with tomato gel/serum or captopril for four weeks caused a significant reduction in blood pressure, decreased locomotor activity and increased grooming behavior; the last two parameters were also significantly affected by tomatine treatment. Brain slices obtained from hypertensive rats treated with tomato gel/serum were more resistant to oxidative stress and contained lower levels of inflammatory cytokines than vehicle-treated ones. In contrast, tomatine treatment had no effect. In conclusion, the tomato-derived gel/serum can be considered a dietary supplement able to drive in vivo blood pressure towards healthier values and also control some central effects such as behavior and brain oxidative stress.

Risk reduction and prevention of cardiovascular diseases: biological mechanisms of lycopene

“…Angiotensin II (Ang II) can be used to induce hypertension in rats, as it activates both NADPH and NADH oxidase. It is no effect in rats with normal blood pressure [40]. These findings support the antihypertensive capacity of lycopene without causing hypotension.…”

“…indicated that treating hypertensive rats with an aqueous extract of tomatoes or captopril for four weeks both led to an outstanding decrease in blood pressure [40].…”

Isomers of the Tomato Glycoalkaloids α-Tomatine and Dehydrotomatine: Relationship to Health Benefits

“…The authors suggested that the consumption of tomato-based diets has the potential to reduce plasma cholesterol in humans, an aspect that merits study. In a related study, Frosini et al [36] reported that treating hypertensive rats with tomato gel/serum for four weeks caused a significant reduction in blood pressure, decreased locomotor activity, and grooming behavior. Tomatine alone was ineffective in reducing blood pressure but did affect the other two parameters.…”