Long-term intake of a milk casein hydrolysate attenuates the development of hypertension and involves cardiovascular benefits.

Abstract

Essential hypertension is considered a serious health problem and diet can play an important role in its prevention and treatment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the long-term intake of a product based on milk casein hydrolysate on the development of hypertension in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). A daily dose of 800 mg/kg body weight of the casein hydrolysate product was administered dissolved in drinking water during 6 weeks. Systolic and diastolic blood pressures were measured weekly by the tail-cuff method. Endothelial function in aorta and mesenteric segments, left ventricular hypertrophy, endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) expression in aorta and plasmatic angiotensin conversion enzyme (ACE) activity were also evaluated at the end of treatment. The development of hypertension was attenuated in the group treated with the casein hydrolysate product; in this sense the systolic blood pressure increased 33±3 mmHg in control group and only 18±5 mmHg in the treated group during the experimental period. In addition, the treatment improved aorta and mesenteric acetylcholine relaxations and increased the eNOS expression in aorta. Left ventricular hypertrophy decreased in treated SHR accompanied by a significant decrease in interstitial fibrosis. These results warrant evaluation in humans to determine if the product based on a casein hydrolysate could be used as a functional food ingredient to prevent blood pressure increased with additional cardiovascular benefits.

• Authors: David Sánchez, Modar Kassan, María del Mar Contreras, Rosalía Carrón, Isidra Recio, María-José Montero, María-Ángeles Sevilla
• Journal: Pharmacological research (Pharmacol Res) Vol. 63 Issue 5 Pg. 398-404 (May 2011) ISSN: 1096-1186 [Electronic] Netherlands
• PMID: 21300153 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Chemical References

• Antihypertensive Agents
• Caseins
• casein hydrolysate
• Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III
• Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A

Topics

• Animals
• Antihypertensive Agents (administration & dosage, therapeutic use)
• Aorta (drug effects, enzymology, pathology)
• Blood Pressure (drug effects)
• Caseins (administration & dosage, therapeutic use)
• Hypertension (blood, enzymology, pathology, prevention & control)
• Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular (drug therapy, pathology)
• Male
• Milk (chemistry)
• Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III (metabolism)
• Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A (blood)
• Rats
• Rats, Inbred SHR