Effect of the consumption of hesperidin in orange juice on the transcriptomic profile of subjects with elevated blood pressure and stage 1 hypertension: A randomized controlled trial (CITRUS study)

Flavonoids: Potential therapeutic agents for cardiovascular disease

Flavonoids are found in the roots, stems, leaves, and fruits of many plant taxa. They are related to plant growth and development, pigment formation, and protection against environmental stress. Flavonoids function as antioxidants and exert anti-inflammatory effects in the cardiovascular system by modulating classical inflammatory response pathways, such as the TLR4-NF-ĸB, PI3K-AKT, and Nrf2/HO-1 signalling pathways. There is increasing evidence for the therapeutic effects of flavonoids on hypertension, atherosclerosis, and other diseases. The potential clinical value of flavonoids for diseases of the cardiovascular system has been widely explored. For example, studies have evaluated the roles of flavonoids in the regulation of blood pressure via endothelium-dependent and non-endothelium-dependent pathways and in the regulation of myocardial systolic and diastolic functions by influencing calcium homeostasis and smooth muscle-related protein expression. Flavonoids also have hypoglycaemic, hypolipidemic, anti-platelet, autophagy, and antibacterial effects. In this paper, the role and mechanism of flavonoids in cardiovascular diseases were reviewed in order to provide reference for the clinical application of flavonoids in the future.

Effects of Pera Orange Juice and Moro Orange Juice in Healthy Rats: A Metabolomic Approach

Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death worldwide. Heart failure is a cardiovascular disease with high prevalence, morbidity, and mortality. Several natural compounds have been studied for attenuating pathological cardiac remodeling. Orange juice has been associated with cardiovascular disease prevention by attenuating oxidative stress. However, most studies have evaluated isolated phytochemicals rather than whole orange juice and usually under pathological conditions. In this study, we evaluated plasma metabolomics in healthy rats receiving Pera or Moro orange juice to identify possible metabolic pathways and their effects on the heart.

METHODS

Sixty male Wistar rats were allocated into 3 groups: control (C), Pera orange juice (PO), and Moro orange juice (MO). PO and MO groups received Pera orange juice or Moro orange juice, respectively, and C received water with maltodextrin (100 g/L). Echocardiogram and euthanasia were performed after 4 weeks. Plasma metabolomic analysis was performed by high-resolution mass spectrometry. Type I collagen was evaluated in picrosirius red-stained slides and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 activity by zymography. MMP-9, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP)-2, TIMP-4, type I collagen, and TNF-α protein expression were evaluated by Western blotting.

RESULTS

We differentially identified three metabolites in PO (N-docosahexaenoyl-phenylalanine, diglyceride, and phosphatidylethanolamine) and six in MO (N-formylmaleamic acid, N2-acetyl-L-ornithine, casegravol isovalerate, abscisic alcohol 11-glucoside, cyclic phosphatidic acid, and torvoside C), compared to controls, which are recognized for their possible roles in cardiac remodeling, such as extracellular matrix regulation, inflammation, oxidative stress, and membrane integrity. Cardiac function, collagen level, MMP-2 activity, and MMP-9, TIMP-2, TIMP-4, type I collagen, and TNF-α protein expression did not differ between groups.

CONCLUSION

Ingestion of Pera and Moro orange juice induces changes in plasma metabolites related to the regulation of extracellular matrix, inflammation, oxidative stress, and membrane integrity in healthy rats. Moro orange juice induces a larger number of differentially expressed metabolites than Pera orange juice. Alterations in plasma metabolomics induced by both orange juice are not associated with modifications in cardiac extracellular matrix components. Our results allow us to postulate that orange juice may have beneficial effects on pathological cardiac remodeling.

Feeding Fiber-Bound Polyphenol Ingredients at Different Levels Modulates Colonic Postbiotics to Improve Gut Health in Cats

Simple Summary

Food eaten by humans or companion animals is broken down by enzymes produced by the host and also by bacteria present in the large intestine of the host. Many of the compounds produced can have beneficial effects on the host’s health. Previous studies in dogs evaluated changes after they ate food containing a fiber bundle made of pecan shells, flax seed, and powders from cranberry, citrus, and beet. These studies showed that bacteria in the large intestine switched from digesting mainly protein to digesting mainly carbohydrates resulting in production of compounds with beneficial properties. The study presented here tested this fiber bundle in cats to see which compounds and/or bacteria in the feces changed. After cats consumed food containing the fiber bundle, several compounds associated with beneficial health effects increased, and some compounds that indicate the breakdown of protein decreased. In contrast, little change in fecal bacteria was observed following consumption of food with the fiber bundle. Overall, these findings indicate that, similar to the dog studies, bacteria in the large intestine of cats were able to digest the fiber bundle to make compounds that may contribute to host health and also shifted to digestion of carbohydrates instead of protein.

Abstract

Consumption of fiber in its different forms can result in positive health effects. Prior studies in dogs found that addition of a fiber bundle (composed of pecan shells, flax seed, and powders of cranberry, citrus, and beet) to food resulted in a shift in fecal bacterial metabolism from proteolysis to saccharolysis. The present study evaluated the changes in fecal metabolites and microbiota in healthy cats following the consumption of this fiber bundle. Following a 28-day pre-feed period, 56 healthy adult cats received food with none or one of three concentrations (0%, 1%, 2%, and 4%) of the fiber bundle for a 31-day period. In cats that consumed the 4% fiber bundle, levels of ammonium and fecal branched-chain fatty acids (BCFAs) decreased from baseline and compared with the other groups. Addition of any level of the fiber bundle resulted in increases in beneficial metabolites: polyphenols hesperidin, hesperetin, ponciretin, secoisolariciresinol diglucoside, secoisolariciresinol, and enterodiol. Little change in fecal microbiota was observed. Since higher levels of ammonia and BCFAs indicate putrefactive metabolism, the decreases in these with the 4% fiber bundle indicate a shift toward saccharolytic metabolism despite little change in the microbiota composition.