Abstract
Endothelial dysfunction is directly involved in consequence of various metabolic syndromes such as diabetes and hypertension. In this study, we investigated the preventive effects of two ark clams [ark shell (AS, Scapharca subcrenata) and granular ark (GA, Tegillarca granosa)] on endothelial dysfunction induced by a high-fat diet. Wistar rats were divided into four groups as follows: control (normal diet), HF (high-fat diet), AS (high-fat diet + 5% AS powder), and GA (high-fat diet + 5% GA powder) for 12 weeks. AS and GA diets enhanced vascular reactivity of the rat thoracic aorta and significantly increased expression levels of vascular relaxation-related proteins (p-Akt-ser473 and p-eNOS-ser1177). Ark clam supplement reduced endothelin-1 expression level, as compared to the HF group. Additionally, AS and GA showed a trend of improving insulin sensitivity compared to HF. Our results suggest that AS and GA enhance vascular reactivity and ameliorated endothelial dysfunction induced by a high-fat diet.
Highlights
Vascular homeostasis is maintained by the endothelial cells through manifold complex interactions with cells in the vessel wall
The ark clams were steamed for 3 min and the muscles obtained after shucking were dried by hot air dryer at 50 °C for 4 days
Horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-conjugated goat antirabbit immunoglobin was procured from Millipore Co. (Billerica, MA, USA)
Summary
Vascular homeostasis is maintained by the endothelial cells through manifold complex interactions with cells in the vessel wall. Taurine that is highly contained in ark clams was reported to have endothelial protective activity [8] and improved vascular function [9]. We hypothesized that ark clams could help to prevent endothelial dysfunction. The HF diet has been widely used for assessing the preventive effect of foods on endothelial dysfunction and insulin resistance [16, 17].
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