Inflammation Markers in Adipose Tissue and Cardiovascular Risk Reduction by Pomegranate Juice in Obesity Induced by a Hypercaloric Diet in Wistar Rats.

Maria Monica Michicotl-Meneses,César A Reyes-López,María Del Rocío Thompson-Bonilla,Cynthia Ordaz-Pichardo,María Eugenia Jaramillo-Flores,Itzel I López-Tenorio,Blanca Estela García-Pérez

doi:10.3390/nu13082577

Abstract

Pomegranate juice (Punica granatum) has been used since ancient times in traditional medicine (Unani Medicine, Ayurveda); its main compounds are anthocyanins and ellagic acid, which have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, hepatoprotective, and cardiovascular health effects. The objective was to evaluate the effect of pomegranate juice on inflammation, blood pressure, and vascular and physiological markers associated with obesity induced by a high-fat diet in a murine model. The results show that pomegranate juice reduces the concentration of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (cLDL) 39% and increases the concentration of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (cHDL) by 27%, leading to a 12%–18% decrease in the risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). In addition to reducing blood pressure by 24%, it also had an antiatherogenic effect by decreasing sE-selectin levels by 42%. On the other hand, the juice significantly increased adiponectin levels in adipose tissue, decreased levels of inflammation markers (tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), interleukin-17A (IL-17A), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-1β (IL-1β)), and inhibited the monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1). Pomegranate juice requires clinical studies to prove its immunoregulatory and therapeutic effects on cardiovascular and atherogenic risks.

Highlights

Metabolic diseases, including obesity, are one of the main public health problems
Endothelial dysfunction is generated by exposure to an activating stimulus, for instance, proinflammatory cytokine secretion, triglyceride elevation, decreased highdensity lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and increased low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) [7,8], which induce the expression of cell adhesion molecules on the endothelial surface, such as vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM -1), the intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1), and E-selectin, that participate in the inflammatory reaction, as well as high levels of nitric oxide (NO) produced by inducible nitric oxide synthase, promoting atherosclerosis [9]
Regarding the content of phenolic compounds and anthocyanins in pomegranate juice, it has been reported that it contains from 6 to 65 different anthocyanins, some evaluated by HPLC and others by HPLC-metabolic syndrome (MS), which explains the great difference, while in relation to phenolic compounds, up to 86 are reported, which include those from phenolic acids, flavonoids, and ellagitannins and others not identified

Summary

Introduction

Obesity is the excessive accumulation of visceral and subcutaneous fat from adipose tissue (AT), and this accumulation is strongly associated with alterations in lipid metabolism, endothelial dysfunction, insulin resistance, dysregulation of adipokines expression, and inflammation. These changes are considered a risk factor for developing metabolic syndrome (MS), type 2 diabetes (T2DM), cardiovascular disease (CVD), non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFLD), endothelial damage, atherosclerosis, and hypertension [1,2]. Its vasculoprotective function has been demonstrated since it attenuates monocyte adhesion to endothelial cells, mainly by the inhibition of TNF-α and the synthesis of intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1), the molecule of cell adhesion 1 (VCAM 1), and E-selectin; adiponectin limits the onset of atherosclerotic plaque [11]

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