Premium
The Effect of Beetroot on Vascular Contractile Response in Ovariectomized Rats
Author(s) -
Deng Arlinda,
Nguyen Huy,
Longo Amanda B.,
Ward Wendy,
MacPherson Rebecca EK.,
Di Wang Hui
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.2018.32.1_supplement.847.18
Subject(s) - ovariectomized rat , medicine , endocrinology , estrogen , phenylephrine , aorta , nitric oxide , blood pressure , chemistry , menopause , vascular smooth muscle , isometric exercise , smooth muscle
Hypertension in women is known to peak dramatically following menopause, potentially attributable to the decreasing levels of sex hormones such as estrogen. Estrogen has regulating effects on nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability, a molecule which plays an important role in regulating blood pressure by dilating arteries. However, in post‐menopausal women estrogen therapy causes many adverse events, and an alternate treatment option is required. Beetroot (BR) is a plant that contains dietary nitrates that can increase blood NO levels. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that ingestion of BR will alter vascular tone and control blood pressure in an ovariectomized rodent model. Twelve‐week old female ovariectomized (OVX) Sprague‐Dawley rats were divided to receive BR juice (containing 18.75 mg nitrates), nitroglycerin (NG) (0.2 mg/kg), estradiol replacement (1.5 mg) or no treatment for 12 weeks (n=4 per group). Isolated aortic rings were mounted in tissue baths and isometric contractile force was measured. Cumulative concentration‐response curves to phenylephrine (PE) (10 −8 M to 10 −5 M) and potassium chloride (KCL 120 mM) were generated to examine contractile function. Superoxide was measured by using chemiluminescence. The aorta rings in the no treatment group developed highest contraction force in response to PE compared to aortic rings from the NG or estradiol‐treated groups (P<0.01). The BR‐treated group had a significantly reduced contractile force compared to no treatment, which was closer to NG and estradiol group levels (P<0.05). BR treatment did not reduce vascular contractions in response to KCL (P>0.05) but significantly reduced superoxide production (P<0.05). These experiments suggest that dietary beetroot would be able to reduce oxidative stress and vascular contraction in response to PE, possibly through the production of nitric oxide. This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal .