P45 Hydroalcoholic extracts of Syzygium cumini (L.) Skeels fruit peel reduces weight gain and improves oxidative stress and vascular response in rats fed a hypercaloric diet

Abstract

Syzygium cumini is considered an important source of phenolic compounds and has beneficial effects on health, such as antioxidant, anti-hyperlipidemic, hypoglycemic and anti-ulcerogenic. In Brazil, S. cumini fruits are generally used in the folk medicine to treat diabetes. The present study was aimed to investigate the effects of a hydroalcoholic extract of S. cumini peel (Scp-HE) on metabolic and vascular changes associated with the consumption of a hypercaloric diet in rats. The hydroalcoholic extract was prepared by ultrasound and the total phenolics and antioxidant capacity were determined. Animals were divided into six groups ( n = 8): Normocaloric diet + saline (NCT); normocaloric diet + Scp-HE, (N100); normocaloric diet + Scp-HE, (N300); hypercaloric diet + saline (HCT); hypercaloric diet + Scp-HE, (H100) and hypercaloric diet + Scp-HE (H300) treated daily by oral gavage for six weeks with the extract and diet simultaneously. At the end of the experimental period, the blood pressure, biochemical parameters and the oxidative stress, vascular reactivity, and organ weight were assessed. The total phenolic content was 5440.86 mg of gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/100 g of sample, and the antioxidant capacity of Scp-HE (EC50) was 59 μ g/mL. The control group that was fed the hypercaloric diet exhibited significant weight gain starting at the third week of caloric intake, as well as increased adiposity indices and glucose levels compared to the control group which fed a standard diet. In addition, the consumption of the hypercaloric diet increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) and worsened the vascular response to SNP and ACh. Scp-HE treatment at both doses was able to reduce the amount of weight gained starting at the fourth week of treatment, improved adiposity index, vascular response to SNP and ACh, and reduced ROS levels. The systolic blood pressure levels were not significantly different among the groups during the treatment. The results obtained so far suggest that the phenolic compounds present in the Scp-HE can reduce the deleterious effects of hypercaloric diets in rats by reducing weight gain, increasing total antioxidant capacity and improving vascular reactivity.