title: Antihypertensive effect of a polyphenol-rich cocoa powder industrially processed to preserve the original flavonoids of the cocoa beans.
abstract: A natural flavonoid-enriched cocoa powder, commercially named CocoanOX and developed via a patented industrial process, was characterized and tested for a possible antihypertensive effect. The bioavailability of this polyphenol-rich cocoa powder developed at pilot scale was previously demonstrated in humans. The present results showed that this product was very rich in total procyanidins (128.9 mg/g), especially monomers, dimers, and trimers (54.1 mg/g), and mainly (-)-epicatechin (19.36 mg/g). The effect of a single oral administration of CocoanOX in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) was evaluated at different doses (50, 100, 300, and 600 mg/kg). This product produced a clear antihypertensive effect in these animals, but these doses did not modify the arterial blood pressure in the normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats. Paradoxically, the maximum effect in the systolic blood pressure (SBP) of SHR was caused by 300 mg/kg of CocoanOX. This dose brought about a decrease in this variable very similar to that caused by 50 mg/kg Captopril. It was also surprising that the maximum effect in the diastolic blood pressure (DBP) was caused by 100 mg/kg CocoanOX. The initial values of DBP and SBP were recovered in SHR, respectively, 24 and 48 h postadministration of the different doses of CocoanOX or Captopril. These results suggest that CocoanOX could be used as a functional ingredient with antihypertensive effect, although it would be also necessary to carry out bioavailability and clinical studies to demonstrate its long-term antihypertensive efficiency in humans.
authors.affiliation: Departamento Farmacología, Facultad Medicina, Universidad Complutense, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cienfuegos-Jovellanos
authors.forename: María del Mar
authors.initials: Mdel M
authors.lastname: Quiñones
authors.forename: Begoña
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Muguerza
authors.forename: Leila
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Moulay
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miguel
authors.forename: Amaya
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aleixandre
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D002099:Cacao / Q000737:chemistry*; D005419:Flavonoids / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000032:analysis; D005511:Food Handling / Q000379:methods*; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D010636:Phenols / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000032:analysis; D059808:Polyphenols; D044945:Proanthocyanidins / Q000032:analysis / Q000302:isolation & purification; D051381:Rats; D011918:Rats, Inbred SHR; D011921:Rats, Inbred WKY; D013805:Theobromine / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents; D005419:Flavonoids; D010636:Phenols; D059808:Polyphenols; D044945:Proanthocyanidins; D013805:Theobromine