Avaliação da atividade anti-hipertensiva de uma bebida probiótica em ratos espontaneamente hipertensos

Abstract

Systemic arterial hypertension (SAH) is considered an important public health problem worldwide due to its high prevalence and low control rates, contributing significantly to the causes of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than one million people are hypertensive, worldwide. Changes in lifestyle, adherence to medication, as well as adequate nutrition can help in better control of hypertension. The consumption of probiotic bacteria or functional foods that contain them, has been associated with improved gastrointestinal health, and suggests through recent evidence an important role in various diseases, such as hypertension. Some bacterial strains are capable of producing peptides that inhibit angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE). ACE plays a fundamental physiological role in controlling blood pressure via the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone pathway. The Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. lactis CNRZ327 has shown promising results in experimental models of colitis induced by chemical agents, which concurrently promote ACE inhibitory activity. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the antihypertensive effect of a probiotic drink fermented by L. delbrueckii CNRZ327 and supplemented with Isolated Whey Protein (WPI) in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) (from English, spontaneously hypertensive rats). Initially, an in vitro experiment was conducted to evaluate the viability of this strain, grown in milk supplemented with WPI 30%. In a complementary way, the probiotic potential was explored through the dosage of bioactive compounds in bacterial culture supplemented with WPI. Additionally, the proximate composition of the fermented drink was investigated. Then, in the in vivo trial, the effect of the probiotic drink on the blood pressure of the SHR and Wistar rats was evaluated. The parameters analyzed also, in the in vivo test, include body weight, lipid profile, ventricular weight, hematological and leukocyte pattern. The in vitro results showed that the lactobacillus strain showed values of 109 CFU, thus meeting the requirements established by the National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA). In addition, the probiotic drink showed ACE-inhibiting peptides, in addition to antioxidant activity. The in vivo results demonstrated a significant reduction (p <0.05) in the systolic blood pressure of SHR rats. It is believed that the presence of peptides inhibiting the angiotensin-converting enzyme has generated this effect, which makes the drink fermented by L. delbrueckii subsp. lactis CNRZ 327 and supplemented with WPI promising in the prevention and / or treatment of arterial hypertension.