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Kudzu Polyphenols Improve Glucose Handling and Decrease Plasma Cholesterol and Blood Pressure in Female Middle‐aged Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats (SHR)
Author(s) -
Peng Ning,
Prasain Jeevan K,
Feng Xinhua,
Wyss J. Micheal
Publication year - 2007
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.21.6.a900-b
Subject(s) - kudzu , puerarin , polyphenol , cholesterol , medicine , insulin resistance , pueraria , antioxidant , endocrinology , diabetes mellitus , blood pressure , chemistry , biochemistry , traditional chinese medicine , alternative medicine , pathology
Hypercholesterolanemia and hyperglycemia play important roles in cardiovascular disease, and several epidemiological studies have shown an inverse relationship between dietary polyphenols and incidence of coronary heart diseases. Our recent studies suggest that kudzu polyphenols (especially puerarin) provide cardiovascular benefits in rats, potentially related to their antioxidant, antihyperglycemia and other actions. We hypothesized that dietary kudzu polyphenol supplementation would improve lipid metabolism and glucose handling and, thus, inhibit cardiovascular dysfunction in middle‐aged female SHR. Ten‐month‐old SHR were ovariectomized and maintained on a polyphenol‐free AIN 93 diet with or without the addition of 0.2% kudzu root extract (~33% puerarin). Following 4 months on the diet, we measured plasma insulin, total cholesterol concentrations, glucose tolerance and arterial pressure (AP). The kudzu polyphenols improved glucose tolerance, decreased body weight by 15% (apparently by decreasing body fat) and reduced AP 15 ± 3.2 mm Hg. Further, the supplementation also reduced plasma cholesterol by 25%. These data indicate that kudzu Polyphenols can protect against insulin resistance and hyper‐cholesterolanemia in SHR, suggesting that the beneficial cardiovascular effects of kudzu polyphenols may be related to their ability to improve glucose and lipid handling in middle‐aged SHR.