Antihypertensive Effect of a Combination of Uracil and Glycerol Derived fromLactobacillus plantarumStrain TWK10-Fermented Soy Milk

We previously demonstrated that angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) could be inhibited by soy milk that had been fermented with the Lactobacillus plantarum strain TWK10, suggesting great potential for the development of antihypertensive products. In this work, the bioactive ACE inhibitors in TWK10-fermented soy milk water extracts were isolated, and a combination of uracil and glycerol (CUG) was identified as one of the ACE inhibitors. We then examined the physiological effects of CUG treatment in short-term and long-term studies using spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) as an experimental model. The results revealed that the fermented soy milk extracts and CUG decreased blood pressure by 11.97 ± 3.71 to 19.54 ± 9.54 mmHg, 8 h after oral administration, and exhibited antihypertensive effects in SHRs in a long-term study. In addition, CUG was shown to decrease blood pressure by suppressing either the renin activity or the ACE activity and, thus, decreasing the downstream vasoconstricting peptide angiotensin II and the hormone aldosterone. CUG also promoted nitric oxide production, resulting in vasodilation and further improvement to hypertension. This important finding suggests that TWK10-fermented soy milk and its functional ingredients, uracil and glycerol, exhibit antihypertensive effects via multiple pathways and provide a healthier and more natural antihypertensive functional food.