Efeito terapêutico do extrato do caroço do açaí sobre as alterações cardiovasculares na obesidade: Estudo comparativo com a Rosuvastatina

Abstract

Obesity is a growing global health problem and is strongly associated with comorbidities, such as cardiovascular diseases. The C57BL/6 mice are a great model for studying diet-induced obesity. Foods rich in polyphenols, such as açaí, promote health benefits in general, also reflected in cardiovascular benefits. The hydroalcoholic açaí stone extract (ASE) previously demonstrated beneficial cardiovascular properties, superior to those demonstrated by the pulp or aqueous extract of the açaí. It also demonstrated the preventive effect of several complications in different studied models, however, the effect of ASE specifically on the heart and aorta, in the context of diet-induced obesity therapy, is not yet known. Rosuvastatin (ROSU) is a statin often prescribed for dyslipidemia and other risks of cardiovascular diseases. This drug has pleiotropic effects, beneficially influencing cardiovascular health through effects that go beyond improving the lipid profile, however, still not well understood. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of ASE on the heart and aorta of male C57BL/6 mice, with obesity induced by a high-fat diet, comparing them with the effects of ROSU. For this, 5 groups were created, where the animals were fed a standard diet for 12 weeks (Control group) or a high-fat diet (60% lipids) for 12 weeks (groups HF12, HF+ASE and HF+ROSU) or for 8 weeks (group HF8). The HF+ASE group was treated with ASE (300mg/kg/day) and HF+ROSU with ROSU (20mg/kg/day) during the last 4 weeks of the study. The high-fat diet made the animals become obese and have altered lipid profile and blood glucose levels. They also had changes in the morphology and redox status of the heart and aorta, as well as decreased expression of Nrf2 and SIRT1 in these organs. Both treatments reduced weight gain and improved the lipid profile, but only ASE improved blood glucose levels. The treatments performed beneficial effects in the morphology of the heart, avoiding hypertrophy of the interventricular septum, and in the morphology of the aorta, preventing hypertrophy of the tunica media and greater collagen deposition. The treatments also improved the redox status in these two organs, which positively influences cardiovascular health. However, ASE performed a more prominent antioxidant effect than ROSU, because, unlike ROSU, ASE improved expression and activity of the GPx enzyme in the heart, in addition to increasing SOD1 expression and decreasing NOX4 expression in the aorta, where it caused less lipid peroxidation. The data obtained suggest a therapeutic potential of ASE in cardiovascular complications in obesity, as it promotes antioxidant effects and improves morphological parameters in the heart and aorta.