Abstract
Ischemic heart disease is a leading cause of mortality in the world. This study aimed to investigate the cardioprotective effects of germinated brown rice (GBR) on a rabbit model of chronic myocardial infarction. Eighteen New Zealand white rabbits were randomly divided into three groups receiving: 1) regular rabbit food; 2) regular rabbit food plus vehicle; and 3) regular rabbit food plus GBR for 120 d. The left circumflex coronary artery was ligated to induce myocardial ischemia 60 d after starting the experiment (baseline). Heart functions were monitored by electrocardiography and echocardiography at 0, 30, and 60 d after coronary artery ligation. The incidences of heart rate (HR) and ventricular arrhythmias have been compared between groups. GBR showed the effects to prevent life-threatening ventricular tachycardia and electrocardiographic signs of myocardial ischemia in a model of arrhythmias. GBR consumption group exhibited significantly improved cardiac function and reduced the HR, along with reduced mean arterial pressure and plasma glucose level. The results demonstrated that GBR exerts cardioprotective effects against chronic myocardial injury in rabbits. These biological actions of GBR may explain the benefits gained from the use of GBR products as a possible prophylactic lifestyle intervention.
Highlights
Coronary heart diseases cause a large number of deaths worldwide, and ventricular arrhythmia is a leading contributor to mortality from heart disease (Long III et al, 2015)
For animals weighing 2.5–3 kg, no significant difference in body weight and blood chemical profiles was observed in control and germinated brown rice (GBR) groups on day 120 of GBR consumption. (Table 3)
GBR might serve as a dietary supplement to improve contraction function on the ischemic heart disease
Summary
Coronary heart diseases cause a large number of deaths worldwide, and ventricular arrhythmia is a leading contributor to mortality from heart disease (Long III et al, 2015). It is well established that hypertension, hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, and sedentary lifestyle are the important risk factors for coronary heart disease (Fakhrzadeh et al, 2016; Ladapo et al, 2016). The protective effects in metabolic diseases have been attributed to the consumption of wholegrain foodstuff, especially germinated brown rice (GBR; Ling et al, 2001, 2002; Lillioja et al, 2013). Germinated brown rice is a biotransformation product of brown rice; it is known that GBR showed excellent benefits on health promotion and disease prevention (Ho et al, 2012)
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