Lauric acid reduces blood pressure in normotensive and hypertensive rats. - GreenMedInfo Summary
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Acute Treatment with Lauric Acid Reduces Blood Pressure and Oxidative Stress in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats.
Basic Clin Pharmacol Toxicol. 2016 Nov 7. Epub 2016 Nov 7. PMID: 28054477
Naiane Ferraz Bandeira Alves
The effects of acute administration of lauric acid (LA), the most abundant medium-chain fatty acid of coconut oil, on blood pressure, heart rate and oxidative stress were investigated in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Intravenous doses of LA reduced blood pressure in a dose-dependent fashion (1, 3, 4, 8 and 10 mg/kg) in both SHR and Wistar Kyoto rats. LA (10(-8) to 3× 10(-3) M) induced vasorelaxation in isolated superior mesenteric artery rings of SHR in the presence (n = 7) or absence (n = 8) of functional endothelium [maximum effect (ME) = 104 ± 3 versus 103 ± 4%]. After exposure to KCl (60 mM), LA also induced concentration-dependent vasorelaxation (n = 7) compared to that under Phe-induced contraction (ME = 113.5 + 5.1 versus 104.5 + 4.0%). Furthermore, LA-induced vasorelaxation in vessels contracted with S(-)-BayK8644 (200 nM), a L-type Ca(2+) channel agonist (ME = 91.4 + 4.3 versus 104.5 + 4.0%, n = 7). Lastly, LA (10(-3) M) reduced NADPH-dependent superoxide accumulation in the heart (18 ± 1 versus 25 ± 1 MLU/min/μg protein, n = 4, p<0.05) and kidney (82± 3 versus 99 ± 4 MLU/min/μg protein, n = 4, p<0.05). Our data show that LA reduces blood pressure in normotensive and hypertensive rats. In SHR, this effect might involve Ca(+2) channels in the resistance vessels and by its capability of reducing oxidative stress in heart and kidneys.