Dietary supplementation with a specific melon concentrate reverses vascular dysfunction induced by cafeteria diet.
BACKGROUND
Obesity-related metabolic syndrome is associated with high incidence of cardiovascular diseases partially consecutive to vascular dysfunction. Therapeutic strategies consisting of multidisciplinary interventions include nutritional approaches. Benefits of supplementation with a specific melon concentrate, enriched in superoxide dismutase (SOD), have previously been shown on the development of insulin resistance and inflammation in a nutritional hamster model of obesity.


OBJECTIVE
We further investigated arterial function in this animal model of metabolic syndrome and studied the effect of melon concentrate supplementation on arterial contractile activity.


RESULTS
The study was performed on a hamster model of diet-induced obesity. After a 15-week period of cafeteria diet, animals were supplemented during 4 weeks with a specific melon concentrate (Cucumis meloL.) Contractile responses of isolated aorta to various agonists and antagonists were studiedex vivo. Cafeteria diet induced vascular contractile dysfunction associated with morphological remodeling. Melon concentrate supplementation partially corrected these dysfunctions; reduced morphological alterations; and improved contractile function, especially by increasing nitric oxide bioavailability and expression of endogenous SOD.


CONCLUSIONS
Supplementation with the specific melon concentrate improves vascular dysfunction associated with obesity. This beneficial effect may be accounted for by induction of endogenous antioxidant defense. Such an approach in line with nutritional interventions could be a useful strategy to manage metabolic syndrome-induced cardiovascular trouble.
Nutrition & Metabolism, UMR 204 NutriPass, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France.|Bionov Research, Montpellier, France.
Julie
J
Carillon
EA7288, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France.|PhyMedExp, INSERM U1046, UMR CNRS 9214, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France.
Bernard
B
Jover
PhyMedExp, INSERM U1046, UMR CNRS 9214, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France.
Jean-Paul
JP
Cristol
Nutrition & Metabolism, UMR 204 NutriPass, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France.
Jean-Max
JM
Rouanet
PhyMedExp, INSERM U1046, UMR CNRS 9214, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France.
Sylvain
S
Richard
PhyMedExp, INSERM U1046, UMR CNRS 9214, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France; anne.virsolvy@inserm.fr.
Anne
A
Virsolvy
antioxidant; obesity; oxidative stress; superoxide dismutase; vascular function