Institute of Agricultural and Nutritional Sciences, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Germany.
Competence Cluster of Cardiovascular Health and Nutrition (nutriCARD), Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Germany.
Clin Sci (Lond). 2017 Oct 12;131(20):2549-2560. doi: 10.1042/CS20170279. Print 2017 Oct 15.
Cocoa polyphenols are thought to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Thus, cocoa-containing foods may have significant health benefits. Here, we studied the impact of chocolate liquor on vascular lesion development and plaque composition in a mouse model of atherosclerosis. Apolipoprotein E (apoE)-knockout mice were assigned to two groups and fed a Western diet that contained 250 g/kg of either chocolate liquor or a polyphenol-free isoenergetic control paste for 16 weeks. In addition to fat, protein, and fibers, the chocolate liquor contained 2 g/kg of polyphenols. Compared with the control group, mice fed the chocolate liquor had larger plaque areas in the descending aorta and aortic root, which were attributed to a higher mass of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) and collagen. Vascular lipid deposits and calcification areas did not differ between the two groups. The aortic tissue level of interleukin-6 (IL-6) mRNA was 5-fold higher in the mice fed chocolate liquor than in the control mice. Chocolate-fed mice exhibited an increased hepatic saturated to polyunsaturated fatty acid ratio than the controls. Although the chocolate liquor contained 14 µg/kg of vitamin D, the chocolate liquor-fed mice did not have measurable 25-hydroxyvitamin D in the serum. These mice even showed a 25% reduction in the level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D compared with the control mice. Overall, present data may contribute to our understanding how chocolate constituents can impact vascular lesion development.
可可多酚被认为可以降低心血管疾病的风险。因此，含有可可的食物可能对健康有显著的益处。在这里，我们研究了巧克力液对动脉粥样硬化小鼠模型血管病变发展和斑块组成的影响。载脂蛋白 E (apoE)-基因敲除小鼠被分为两组，分别用含有 250 g/kg 的巧克力液或不含多酚的等能量对照糊喂养 16 周。除了脂肪、蛋白质和纤维，巧克力液还含有 2 g/kg 的多酚。与对照组相比，喂食巧克力液的小鼠在降主动脉和主动脉根部的斑块面积更大，这归因于血管平滑肌细胞（VSMCs）和胶原蛋白的质量更高。两组之间血管内脂质沉积和钙化面积没有差异。喂食巧克力液的小鼠主动脉组织中白细胞介素-6 (IL-6) mRNA 的水平比对照组高 5 倍。喂食巧克力的小鼠的肝脏饱和脂肪酸与多不饱和脂肪酸的比例高于对照组。尽管巧克力液含有 14 µg/kg 的维生素 D，但喂食巧克力液的小鼠血清中没有可测量的 25-羟维生素 D。与对照组相比，这些小鼠的 25-羟维生素 D 水平甚至降低了 25%。总的来说，目前的数据可能有助于我们了解巧克力成分如何影响血管病变的发展。
