Dietary supplementation with a specific melon concentrate reverses vascular dysfunction induced by cafeteria diet

Julie Carillon,Bernard Jover,Jean-Paul Cristol,Jean-Max Rouanet,Sylvain Richard,Anne Virsolvy

doi:10.3402/fnr.v60.32729

Abstract

BackgroundObesity-related metabolic syndrome is associated with high incidence of cardiovascular diseases partially consecutive to vascular dysfunction. Therapeutic strategies consisting of multidisciplinary interventions include nutritional approaches. Benefits of supplementation with a specific melon concentrate, enriched in superoxide dismutase (SOD), have previously been shown on the development of insulin resistance and inflammation in a nutritional hamster model of obesity.ObjectiveWe further investigated arterial function in this animal model of metabolic syndrome and studied the effect of melon concentrate supplementation on arterial contractile activity.Design and resultsThe study was performed on a hamster model of diet-induced obesity. After a 15-week period of cafeteria diet, animals were supplemented during 4 weeks with a specific melon concentrate (Cucumis melo L.) Contractile responses of isolated aorta to various agonists and antagonists were studied ex vivo. Cafeteria diet induced vascular contractile dysfunction associated with morphological remodeling. Melon concentrate supplementation partially corrected these dysfunctions; reduced morphological alterations; and improved contractile function, especially by increasing nitric oxide bioavailability and expression of endogenous SOD.ConclusionsSupplementation with the specific melon concentrate improves vascular dysfunction associated with obesity. This beneficial effect may be accounted for by induction of endogenous antioxidant defense. Such an approach in line with nutritional interventions could be a useful strategy to manage metabolic syndrome–induced cardiovascular trouble.

Highlights

Obesity-related metabolic syndrome is associated with high incidence of cardiovascular diseases partially consecutive to vascular dysfunction
Melon concentrate supplementation reduced body weight gain Cafeteria diet induced a significant increase in body weight (OB group) compared with the standard diet (STD; Table 1)
Melon concentrate supplementation improved morphological alterations of aorta In animals subjected to cafeteria diet (OB group), we observed increases in both internal diameter and media thickness of aorta (Fig. 1), corresponding to 791% (p 00.0007) and 1992%, respectively, compared with the same parameters measured in the reference STD group

Summary

Introduction

Obesity-related metabolic syndrome is associated with high incidence of cardiovascular diseases partially consecutive to vascular dysfunction. Objective: We further investigated arterial function in this animal model of metabolic syndrome and studied the effect of melon concentrate supplementation on arterial contractile activity. Melon concentrate supplementation partially corrected these dysfunctions; reduced morphological alterations; and improved contractile function, especially by increasing nitric oxide bioavailability and expression of endogenous SOD. Conclusions: Supplementation with the specific melon concentrate improves vascular dysfunction associated with obesity. This beneficial effect may be accounted for by induction of endogenous antioxidant defense. Such an approach in line with nutritional interventions could be a useful strategy to manage metabolic syndromeÁinduced cardiovascular trouble

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion