Antihypertensive effects of purple passion fruit peel extract in rats and humans

Abstract

With an increasing number of patients suffering from hypertension and the frequent inability of conventional diet modification and therapy to effectively control the problem, alternative therapies are being sought after. These studies were undertaken to investigate the efficacy of the purple passion fruit peel (PFP) extract—a mixture of bioflavonoids, phenolic acids, and anthocyanins—in animals and patients with mild to severe hypertension. Spontaneously hypertensive rats were divided into 3 groups: basic diet, basic diet supplemented with the PFP extract at 10 mg/kg and 50 mg/kg; and serum nitric oxide and systolic blood pressure were analyzed. Studies were then extended to hypertensive subjects within a four-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial through the administration of oral PFP extract (400 mg/day) or placebo pills. In spontaneously hypertensive rats, consumption of the PFP extract at 50 mg/kg lowered systolic blood pressure by 12.3 mm Hg on average (p<0.01) and markedly decreased the nitric oxide production by 65% on average (p<0.05). In hypertensive humans, the systolic and diastolic blood pressure of those supplemented with the PFP extract decreased significantly (p<0.001). Hypertensive patients given the PFP extract reported experiencing no significant adverse effects from it. The purple passion fruit peel extract may be safely offered to hypertensive patients as an alternative treatment option. This study was supported in part by Kemin Foods.