In vitro studies of an aged black garlic extract enriched in S-allylcysteine and polyphenols with cardioprotective effects

Abstract

Aged black garlic (ABG) exerts metabolic and cardiovascular beneficial effects. The aim of this work was to analyse the in vitro cardiovascular effects of an ABG extract enriched in S-allyl-cysteine and polyphenols (ABG10+) in Sprague-Dawley rats. Hearts were pre-treated either with ABG10+ or vehicle and subjected to 30 min ischaemia followed by 45 min reperfusion (IR) using the Langendorff technique. Segments of aorta and tail artery were used for inflammation/oxidative stress and vascular reactivity experiments respectively in presence/absence of ABG10+. ABG10+ induced a nitric oxide (NO) dependent vasodilating effect in tail artery segments and directly increased the release of NO in aorta segments. In the heart, ABG10+ induced a relaxing effect on coronary arteries before and after IR and prevented the IR induced decrease in myocardial contractility. Functional changes were associated with increased expression of both pro- and antioxidant and pro- and anti-inflammatory markers in the myocardium and in aorta.