(–)-Epicatechin Reduces the Blood Pressure of Young Borderline Hypertensive Rats During the Post-Treatment Period

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of (–)-epicatechin (Epi) in young male borderline hypertensive rats (BHR) during two weeks of treatment (Epi group, 100 mg/kg/day p.o.) and two weeks post treatment (PE group). Epi reduced blood pressure (BP), which persisted for two weeks post treatment. This was associated with delayed reduction of anxiety-like behaviour. Epi significantly increased nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activities in the aorta and left heart ventricle (LHV) vs. the age-matched controls without affecting the brainstem and frontal neocortex. Furthermore, Epi significantly reduced the superoxide production in the aorta and relative content of iron-containing compounds in blood. Two weeks post treatment, the NOS activities and superoxide productions in the heart and aorta did not differ from the age-matched controls. The gene expressions of the NOSs (nNOS, iNOS, eNOS), nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ) remained unaltered in the aorta and LHV of the Epi and PE groups. In conclusion, while Epi-induced a decrease of the rats’ BP persisted for two weeks post treatment, continuous Epi treatments seem to be necessary for maintaining elevated NO production as well as redox balance in the heart and aorta without changes in the NOSs, Nrf2, and PPAR-γ gene expressions.

Sensitive SQUID Bio-Magnetometry for Determination and Differentiation of Biogenic Iron and Iron Oxide Nanoparticles in the Biological Samples

“…One day before the experiment, all of the rats had two catheters implanted under 2.5–3.5% isoflurane anaesthesia, as described previously [ 26 ]. All of the rats were also pre-treated with meloxicam (Meloxidolor, Le Vet Beheer B.V., Oudewated, Nederland) at 2 mg/kg intramuscularly before surgery to prevent post-surgical pain.…”

“…The production of superoxide was measured in the 15–20 mg fresh samples of the tissues using lucigenin (50 µmol/L)-enhanced chemiluminescence using a TriCarb 2910TR liquid scintillation analyser (TriCarb, Perkin Elmer, Waltham, MA, USA), as described previously by Kluknavsky et al [ 26 ]. The results are expressed in the form of cpm/mg of wet tissue.…”

“…The question of the measurement of biogenous iron content is also very important. SQUID magnetometric determination of biogenic iron was performed in various tissues of mice (duodenum, liver, spleen, kidney, heart or brain) [ 21 , 25 ] and rat blood [ 26 ]. In addition, iron content was also determined by SQUID magnetometry in human brain [ 27 ].…”

Mechanisms Modified by (−)-Epicatechin and Taxifolin Relevant for the Treatment of Hypertension and Viral Infection: Knowledge from Preclinical Studies

“…EC also increased the total antioxidant capacity of plasma and the erythrocyte deformability [ 38 ]. The same EC treatment regimen in young BHRs led to reductions of BP, which persisted for the following two weeks after cessation of EC treatment [ 60 ]. EC also reduced superoxide production in the aorta but not in the left heart ventricle.…”

Intra-Articular Injection of (−)-Epigallocatechin 3-Gallate (EGCG) Ameliorates Cartilage Degeneration in Guinea Pigs with Spontaneous Osteoarthritis

“…(−)-Epigallocatechin 3-gallate (EGCG), the major bioactive component of green tea catechins, has gained interest in OA research because of its potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidative properties [ 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 ]. The chondroprotective effect of EGCG has been widely investigated using human articular chondrocytes [ 22 , 23 , 24 ], animal articular chondrocytes [ 25 , 26 ], bovine cartilage explants [ 27 ], and surgically induced OA animal models [ 28 , 29 , 30 ].…”