title: Vitamins C and E improve endothelial dysfunction in intrauterine-undernourished rats by decreasing vascular superoxide anion concentration.
abstract: Epidemiological studies suggest that intrauterine undernutrition plays an important role in the development of arterial hypertension in adulthood. Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E) have antioxidant properties that could improve redox-sensitive vascular changes associated with hypertension. The authors determined whether vitamins C and E treatments ameliorate the hypertension and vascular function in male rats submitted to intrauterine undernutrition. Pregnant Wistar rats were fed either normal or 50% of the normal intake diets during the whole gestational period. At 14 weeks of age, male offspring of nutritionally restricted dams were divided into 3 subgroups: vehicle-treated (vehicle for 15 days, by gastric gavage, n = 9), vitamin C-treated (ascorbic acid, 150 mg/Kg/d for 15 days, by gastric gavage, n = 15) and vitamin E-treated (alpha-tocopherol, 350 mg/kg per day for 15 days, by gastric gavage, n = 15). Systolic blood pressure was determined before and after antioxidant treatments by the tail-cuff method. At 16 weeks of age, the rats were used for the study of microvascular reactivity and intravital fluorescence microscopy. Intrauterine undernutrition induced hypertension, and vitamins C or E treatments reduced the blood pressure levels. The decreased acetylcholine and bradykinin-induced vasodilation was restored in the vitamin-treated rats. These effects were associated with decreased vascular superoxide anion concentration. The results show that vitamins C and E reduce oxidative stress and high blood pressure levels, and improve vascular function in intrauterine-undernourished rats.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Hypertension, Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, 05508-900 Av Prof Lineu Prestes, 1524-São Paulo, Brazil. mdcfranco@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Maria do Carmo P
authors.initials: Mdo C
authors.lastname: Franco
authors.forename: Eliana Hiromi
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Akamine
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Aparecida de Oliveira
authors.forename: Zuleica B
authors.initials: ZB
authors.lastname: Fortes
authors.forename: Rita C A
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Tostes
authors.forename: Maria Helena C
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Carvalho
authors.forename: Dorothy
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Nigro
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001205:Ascorbic Acid / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000187:drug effects*; D005260:Female; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D010927:Placental Insufficiency / Q000150:complications*; D011247:Pregnancy; D051381:Rats; D013481:Superoxides / Q000378:metabolism*; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D013481:Superoxides; D014810:Vitamin E; D001205:Ascorbic Acid