Department of Physiology, Anhui Medical College, Hefei, Anhui, China.
Department of Physiology, Wannan Medical College, Wuhu, Anhui, China.
Clin Transl Sci. 2020 Sep;13(5):907-915. doi: 10.1111/cts.12770. Epub 2020 Apr 8.
High-salt (HS) intake is closely associated with the ignition and progression of hypertension. The mechanisms might be involved in endothelial dysfunction, nitric oxide deficiency, oxidative stress, and proinflammatory cytokines. Propolis is widely used as a natural antioxidant and is a well-known functional food for its biological activities, which includes anti-inflammation, antimicrobial, and liver detoxification. In this study, we successfully replicated a HS diet-induced hypertensive rat model. We found that in the long-term HS diet group, the myocardial function of the rats was altered and led to a significant decrease (around 49%) in heart function. However, doses of Chinese water-soluble propolis (WSP) were found directly proportional (11%, 60%, 91%, respectively) to the myocardial function improvement in hypertensive rats. The results from the blood circulation test and hematoxylin-eosin stains showed that propolis had protective effects on myocardial functions and blood vessels in hypertensive rats. Also, based on the results of western blot and polymerase chain reaction, WSP effectively regulated Nox2 and Nox4 levels and was responsible for a decrease in reactive oxygen species synthesis. Our findings demonstrate that Chinese WSP has a significant effect on the blood pressure of hypertensive rats and their cardiovascular functions that improved significantly. The improvement in the cardiovascular functions might be related to the process of anti-oxidation, anti-inflammation, and the improvements of the endothelial function in hypertensive rats.
高盐（HS）摄入与高血压的发生和进展密切相关。其机制可能涉及内皮功能障碍、一氧化氮缺乏、氧化应激和促炎细胞因子。蜂胶被广泛用作天然抗氧化剂，因其具有抗炎、抗菌和肝脏解毒等生物活性而被公认为一种功能性食品。在本研究中，我们成功复制了 HS 饮食诱导的高血压大鼠模型。我们发现，在长期 HS 饮食组中，大鼠的心肌功能发生改变，导致心功能显著下降（约 49%）。然而，我们发现，中国水溶性蜂胶（WSP）的剂量与高血压大鼠心肌功能的改善呈直接比例（分别为 11%、60%和 91%）。血液循环测试和苏木精-伊红染色的结果表明，蜂胶对高血压大鼠的心肌功能和血管具有保护作用。此外，根据 Western blot 和聚合酶链反应的结果，WSP 有效调节了 Nox2 和 Nox4 水平，减少了活性氧的合成。我们的研究结果表明，中国 WSP 对高血压大鼠的血压及其心血管功能有显著影响，且显著改善。心血管功能的改善可能与抗氧化、抗炎和改善高血压大鼠的内皮功能过程有关。
