Research in Health and Nutrition (RHN) Volume 2, 2014
www.seipub.org/rhn
The Antihypertensive Effect of Black Garlic (Allium Sativum) in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats via Scavenging of Free Radicals Yelian Miao*1, Jieyu Chen2, Guangyong Zhou3, Xiaobian Xu4, Qimei Zhang5, Jining Wang6 College of Food Science and Light Industrial Engineering, Nanjing University of Technology, Jiangsu 211816, China 2 Faculty of Bioresource Science, Akita Prefectural University, Akita 010-0195, Japan 6 School of Economics and Management, Nanjing University of Technology, Jiangsu 211816, China *1,3,4,5
ylmiao@njut.edu.cn
*1
Received 17 Sep, 2013; Accepted 10 Nov, 2013; Published 10 Jan, 2014 © 2014 Science and Engineering Publishing Company
Abstract Black garlic (Allium sativum) is a new garlic product with high free-radical-scavenging ability. In the present study, the antihypertensive effect of black garlic was investigated in vivo using spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs, 185±12 mm Hg) as the test animals. Total antioxidant capacity (TAOC) and malondialdehyde (MDA) content in both plasma and hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the rats were measured to explore underlying biochemical mechanism of the antihypertensive effect. The administration of black garlic for 14 days significantly lowered the blood pressure of SHRs to 121±10 mm Hg (with a decline rate of 34.6% in average), while it did not affect the normal blood pressure of Wistar rats. The black garlic had more antihypertensive effect on SHRs than fresh garlic. In the plasma of SHRs receiving the black garlic, the T-AOC increased from 4.2±1.0 U/mL to 5.4±1.1 U/mL (with an increase rate of 28.6% in average), and the MDA content decreased correspondingly from 10.2±2.2 nmol/mL to 7.9±0.7 nmol/mL (with a decrease rate of 22.5% in average). In the PVN of SHRs receiving the black garlic, the T-AOC increased from 4.4±0.7 U/mg-protein to 7.2±1.6 U/mg-protein (with an increase rate of 63.6% in average), and the MDA content decreased correspondingly from 8.2±1.5 nmol/mgprotein to 3.9±1.2 nmol/mg-protein (with a decrease rate of 52.4% in average). The findings indicated that the black garlic exerts a potential antihypertensive effect through scavenging excessive oxygen free radicals (OFRs) in the plasma and PVN of SHRs. Keywords Black Garli, Antioxidant Activit, Antihypertensive Effect, Oxygen Free Radical, Hypertension
Abbreviations CSAR, cardiac sympathetic afferent reflex FRAP, ferric reducing ability of plasma MDA, malondialdehyde OFRs, oxygen free radicals PVN, paraventricular nucleus SHRs, spontaneously hypertensive rats T-AOC, total antioxidant capacity TBA, thiobarbituric acid
Introduction Hypertension is a commonly occurring cardiovascular disease in the world. It is estimated that by 2025, the incidence of hypertension will increase to 24% in developed countries and to 80% in developing countries (Messerli et al., 2007; Quiñones et al., 2013). Hypertension may be caused by oxygen free radicals (OFRs) in the human body (Russo et al., 1998; Bogdan et al., 2000). Antioxidant therapy helps to scavenge excessive OFRs, and to prevent the pathogenesis of hypertension and its complications (Vaziri et al., 2000; Ortiz et al., 2001). Recent research also indicated that excessive OFRs in hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) contribute to the potentiation of vasoconstrictor angiotensin II (Ang II) and cardiac sympathetic afferent reflex (CSAR), which may induce
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