Daily consumption of wild olive (acebuche) oil reduces blood pressure and ameliorates endothelial dysfunction and vascular remodelling in rats with NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester-induced hypertension

Figures

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  Fig. 1.. (a) Initial and (b) final body weight, and final (c) systolic and (d) diastolic blood pressure (BP) in the different experimental groups. Values are expressed as mean values with their standard errors of the mean of six animals per group. ***P < 0·001 v. Control group; +++ P < 0·001 v. Acebuche group; ### P < 0·001 v. L-NAME group.

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  Fig. 2.. Dose–response curves in aortic rings corresponding to (a) vasoconstriction mediated by phenylephrine (10−9–3 × 10−5 mol/l); (b) acetylcholine-mediated (10−9–3 × 10−5 mol/l) vasodilation; (c) same experiment as in (b) previous acute incubation with L-NAME (10−4 mol/l) for 30 min; (d) vasorelaxation response to sodium nitroprusside (10−10–3 × 10−6 mol/l). The results are expressed as relative percentages of the maximum contraction induced by 60 mmol/L KCl (a), or the contraction induced by a submaximal dose of phenylephrine (b)–(d); (e) total eNOS protein expression; (f) ratio p-eNOS (Ser1177) to p-eNOS (Thr495); (G) NO levels in aorta homogenates of rats from the different experimental groups. Values are expressed as mean values with their standard errors of the mean of six animals per group. *P < 0·05, **P < 0·01, ***P < 0·001 v. Control group; + P < 0·05, ++ P < 0·01, +++ P < 0·001 v. Acebuche group; # P < 0·05, ## P < 0·01, ### P < 0·001 v. L-NAME group. (a–d) , Control; , Acebuche; , L-NAME; , LN + ACE

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  Fig. 3.. (a) Haematoxylin–eosin staining of aorta rings; (b) thickness of tunica media; (c) area of tunica media; (d) area of lumen and (e) media/lumen ratio in the different experimental groups. Values are expressed as mean values with their standard errors of the mean of six animals per group. ***P < 0·001 v. Control group; ++ P < 0·01, +++ P < 0·001 v. Acebuche group; # P < 0·05, ### P < 0·001 v. L-NAME group. Scale bar: 50 µm.

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  Fig. 4.. (a) Sirius Red staining of aortas (scale bar: 50 µm); (b) morphometric analysis of areas depicted in (a); (c) TGF-β1 immunohistochemistry (scale bar: 20 µm); (d) TGF-β1 protein expression in the different experimental groups. Values are expressed as mean values with their standard errors of the mean of six animals per group. **P < 0·01, ***P < 0·001 v. Control group; ++ P < 0·01, +++ P < 0·001 v. Acebuche group; ### P < 0·001 v. L-NAME group.

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  Fig. 5.. (a) Dihydroethidium (DHE) labelling (red colour) for superoxide anion production and 4´,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI, blue colour) nuclei staining in the different experimental groups. Middle line photos in the panel represent the effects of preincubation with polyethylene glycol-conjugated superoxide dismutase (PEG-SOD); (b) superoxide anion quantification (% relative to DAPI) relative to that of Control; (c) NADPH oxidase enzyme activity; (d)–(f) gene expression of NOX1, NOX2 and NOX4, respectively, in aorta homogenates of rats from the different experimental groups. Values are expressed as mean values with their standard errors of the mean of at least four animals per group. *P < 0·05, **P < 0·01, ***P < 0·001 v. Control group; + P < 0·05, +++ P < 0·001 v. Acebuche group; # P < 0·05, ## P < 0·01, ### P < 0·001 v. L-NAME group. Scale bar: 50 µm.

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  Fig. 6.. (a) Glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px1/2); (b) glutathione reductase (GSH-Red); and (c) superoxide dismutase (SOD-1) activities in peripheral blood; (d)–(e) protein expression of antioxidant enzymes depicted in (a)–(c), respectively, in aorta homogenates of rats from the different experimental groups. Values are expressed as mean values with their standard errors of the mean of six animals per group. *P < 0·05, **P < 0·01, ***P < 0·001 v. Control group; + P < 0·05, ++ P < 0·01, +++ P < 0·001 v. Acebuche group; # P < 0·05, ## P < 0·01 v. L-NAME group.