| Budget Amount *help |
¥3,000,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,000,000)
Fiscal Year 2004: ¥800,000 (Direct Cost: ¥800,000)
Fiscal Year 2003: ¥2,200,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,200,000)
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| Research Abstract |
The endothelial function is impaired by aging. Red wine polyphenol compounds (RWPCs) are suggested to have anti-atherosclerotic effect by scavenging oxygen-derived free radicals. In order to elucidate the acute effect of RWPCs, we examined the response of coronary flow in Langendorff-perfused rat heart and of aortic smooth muscle to RWPCs. We have shown that RWPCs increased coronary flow in vitro in aged rat as well as young rat. RWPCs relaxed the aortic vessels concentration-dependently in phenylephrine-precontracted smooth muscle preparations, both in young and aged rats. The vasorelaxant effecs were mediated by NO, PGI2 and EDHF in young rats, while by EDHF alone in aged rats. Next, we examined the cardiovascular effect of the RWPCs orally administered for a long term (up to 3 months). Rats were divided to three groups. Normal diet, high cholesterol diet, and high cholesterol plus RWPCs diet were given to each group, respectively. After 3 months, the vascular reactivity, platelet coagulability, and response of coronary flow were examined. The long term administration of RWPCs ameliorated the cardiovascular function. In cholesterol diet group, the platelet coagulation in response to ADP was dramatically increased, but the platelet dysfunction was improved by the addition of RWPCs into cholesterol diet. The endothelila function to release nitric oxide also tended to be better in the RWPCs group than that in cholesterol group. The importance of the arginine transporters which deliver arginine as a substrate of nitric oxide into endothelilal cells will be investigated in our future study to understand the mechanism of age-related cardiovascular disorders.
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