Name: FABRÍCIO BRAGANÇA DA SILVA
Publication date: 23/08/2019
Advisor:
Name |
Role |
|---|---|
| GLAUCIA RODRIGUES DE ABREU | Advisor * |
Examining board:
| Name |
Role |
|---|---|
| ALESSANDRA SIMAO PADILHA | Internal Examiner * |
| GIRLANDIA ALEXANDRE BRASIL AMORIM | External Examiner * |
| GLAUCIA RODRIGUES DE ABREU | Advisor * |
| JOSE GERALDO MILL | Internal Examiner * |
Summary: The postmenopausal period is seen as a milestone for the emergence of non-transmissible conical diseases of which cardiovascular diseases stand out. The arterial hypertension and endothelial dysfunction form the basis of the main risk factors and injuries. The introduction of nutraceuticals as therapeutic alternatives has attracted the attention of researchers for presenting promising results. Among them is ellagic acid, a phytochemical with potent antioxidant properties found in fruits, plants and nuts. The aim of this research was to evaluate the effects of ellagic acid treatment on the vascular reactivity of resistance arteries in an experimental model of hypertension and menopause. 40 SHR female rats were evaluated for 4 weeks and divided into 5 treatment groups: SHAM, treated with vehicle; OVX, castrated and treated with vehicle; OAE, castrated and treated with ellagic acid (10 mg/kg/day); OE2, castrated and treated with estrogen (1g/kg/day); OAE+E2, treated with ellagic acid and estrogen. Mesenteric artery rings were subjected to contraction force tests in the absence and presence of a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor to record treatment performance and nitric oxide (NO) participation; and tissue samples were collected for biochemical analysis. The ellagic acid treatment proved to preserve blood pressure and vascular reactivity; as well as a higher bioavailability of NO, a lower concentration of superoxide anion, and a greater synthesis of the antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase and catalase in relation to the OVX animals but not differing from the other groups. In the absence of the recognized cardioprotective action of estrogen the results lead us to deduce that ellagic acid effectively provides its effects, constituting a promising proposal for the control of cardiovascular damages of hypertension and endothelial dysfunction.
