title: Effects of red wine, alcohol, and quercetin on coronary resistance and conductance arteries.
abstract: Moderate consumption of alcoholic beverages is associated with a reduced risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). Some evidence suggests that red wine is particularly beneficial in this regard and may account in part for the French paradox, although the mechanism of this effect is unknown. We assessed the effects of red wine, ethanol, and quercetin, a major flavonoid constituent of red wine, in coronary resistance vessels (80-150 microm, i.d.) and conductance vessels (300-525 microm, i.d.) of the rabbit. Vessel wall tension was measured in isolated segments maintained in a wire-type myograph (37 degrees C) and preconstricted with 30 mM K+. At an alcohol concentration (14 mM) equivalent to moderate consumption, red wine evoked a small, transient constrictor effect in resistance and conductance vessels (9+/-4%, n = 5; 8+/-1%, n = 7, respectively; p < 0.05). Ethanol alone at this concentration was without effect. Quercetin (5.6, 8, and 30 microM) significantly relaxed resistance (-32+/-4%, n = 10; -47+/-2%, n = 7; -82+/-6%, n = 8, respectively) and conductance (-20+/-3%, n = 8; -32+/-4%, n = 8; -72+/-7%, n = 8, respectively) coronary arteries. Vasorelaxation by quercetin was endothelium-independent and was significantly greater in resistance than in conductance vessels. These data suggest that red wine and ethanol do not evoke relaxation in small coronary arteries at concentrations associated with moderate consumption. Quercetin elicits marked coronary vasorelaxation that is endothelium-independent. However, the concentrations of quercetin necessary to achieve this action are not attained with moderate red wine consumption.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, University of California, Davis, Sacramento 95817, USA.
authors.forename: S V
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Rendig
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Symons
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Longhurst
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Amsterdam
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D000431:Ethanol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D008833:Microcirculation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D011794:Quercetin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011817:Rabbits; D014655:Vascular Resistance / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D014664:Vasodilation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D014920:Wine
chemical_list: D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants; D000431:Ethanol; D011794:Quercetin