Abstract
The effect of wild blueberries on the composition and structure of GAGs was examined in twenty, 12 week‐old SHRs, fed a control (C) or blueberry‐enriched diet (B) for nine weeks. Thoracic aortae were defatted with methanol/chloroform solution (1:1 v/v), digested with pronase and assayed for total sulfated GAGs and uronic acid content. Aortic specimens from each diet group were pooled together and fractionated on a DEAE‐Sephacel column with a NaCl linear gradient. Identification and characterization of pooled uronic acid‐positive fractions was determined with cellulose acetate electrophoresis, treatment with specific GAG lyases and high performance capillary electrophoresis. A significant decrease in total sulfated GAGs was documented in the SHR‐B, 12.58 ± 0.20 vs. 13.72 ± 0.20 µg/mg aorta in the SHR‐C, p=0.05. Three different GAG populations were identified; hyaluronic acid (HA), heparan sulfate (HS) and galactosaminoglycans (GalAGs). There was a 25% and 10% increase in HA and HS, respectively, and a 13% decrease in GalAGs in the SHR‐B as compared to SHR‐C group. The changes in the SHR aortic GAG profile produced by wild blueberry consumption may alter cellular signal transduction pathways and subsequently affect the biomechanical milieu of the vascular endothelium.This work was supported by a USDA/CSREES (WBANA) Grant and a Greek State Scholarship Foundation Fellowship (IKY).Grant Funding SourceWBANA, IKY
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