Ethanolic Extract of Salvia hispanica L. Regulates Blood Pressure by Modulating the Expression of Genes Involved in BP-Regulatory Pathways

Abstract

Hypertension (HT) is considered to be a potential risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and has been directly related to pathologies such as obesity and dyslipidemias. Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) blocked the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone cascade diminishing the production of angiotensin II and the level of bradykinin, produced by the kallikrein-kinin system. Although ACEIs are effective therapeutics in regulating HT, they present several side-effects that can be due to their mechanism of action (as hypotension, cough, dizziness, light-headedness or hyperkalemia) to specific drug molecular structure (skin rash, neutropenia and tasting disorders) or due to associated pathologies in the patients (it has been considered a possible nephrotoxic effect when ACEIs are administered in combination with angiotensin receptor blockers, in patients that present comorbidities as diabetes, acute kidney injury or chronic kidney disease). Therefore, it is necessary the searching for new products with ACEI activity that do not produce side effects. Interestingly, species of the plant genus Salvia have been found to possess hypotensive effects. In the present study, we analyzed the effects of the ethanolic extract of Salvia hispanica L. seeds (EESH) on the expression of genes involved in pathways regulating HT. Administration of EESH to hypertensive rats inhibited the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) activity along with a decrease in Ace and elevation of Agtr1a and Nos3 gene expression, as compared to that in healthy rats. Moreover, these results were similar to those observed with captopril, an antihypertensive drug used as a control. No significant change in the expression of Bdkrb2 gene was observed in the different groups of rats. To conclude, our results demonstrate that EESH regulates blood pressure (BP) in hypertensive rats through transcriptionally regulating the expression of genes that participate in different pathways involving ACE.

Ajuga bracteosa Exerts Antihypertensive Activity in l-NAME-Induced Hypertension Possibly through Modulation of Oxidative Stress, Proinflammatory Cytokines, and the Nitric Oxide/Cyclic Guanosine Monophosphate Pathway

“…Also, caffeic acid has been reported to inhibit ACE activity. 52 Compounds with antioxidant activity such as p -coumaric acid, benzoic acid, vanillic acid, and caffeic acid may possibly increase the expression of eNOS. 53 Similarly, the observed overexpression of COX-2 and NF-kB in the heart tissue might be responsible for the production of reactive oxygen species in the hypertensive rats.…”

“…bracteosa contains compounds such as caffeic acid and quercetin possessing effective antioxidant activity supports this hypothesis. Also, caffeic acid has been reported to inhibit ACE activity . Compounds with antioxidant activity such as p -coumaric acid, benzoic acid, vanillic acid, and caffeic acid may possibly increase the expression of eNOS .…”

Nutritional, health benefits and usage of chia seeds (Salvia hispanica): A review

“…Ullah et al (2016) reported a high intake of αlinolenic acid by humans reduces the risk of heart failure. This may be due to the anti-inflammatory, anti-thrombotic and anti-arrhythmic role that chia seeds, as a natural source of omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, play (Oliveira-Alves et al, 2017;Arredondo-Mendoza et al, 2020). A study conducted by Koh et al (2015) showed that increased intake of Kulczyński et al (2019) omega 3 fatty acids from marine or plant sources by humans reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases, which are among the most chronic noncommunicable diseases in the world is facing at present.…”

Comparative genomics points to tandem duplications of SAD gene clusters as drivers of increased α‐linolenic (ω‐3) content in S. hispanica seeds

“…Salvia hispanica seeds are rich in essential fatty acids (81%), including α‐linolenic acid (ALA, ω‐3, 62%) and linoleic acid (LA, ω‐6, 19%) with low ω‐6:ω‐3 ratio (0.3), which makes it one of the best sources of plant‐based ω‐3 (Oteri et al., 2023). Several studies examining the effect of ω‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω‐3‐PUFAs) supplementation on human health suggest that they may help reduce several chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular and inflammatory disorders, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and kidney dysfunction (Arredondo‐Mendoza et al., 2020; Creus et al., 2017; El‐Feky et al., 2022; Y.‐X. Liu et al., 2023; Meyer & De Groot, 2017; Ong et al., 2023; Onneken, 2018; Penson & Banach, 2020; Y. Xiao et al., 2022; X. Zhang et al., 2022).…”