PLoS ONE (Jan 2022)

Açai supplementation (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) attenuates cardiac remodeling after myocardial infarction in rats through different mechanistic pathways

  • Amanda Menezes Figueiredo,
  • Ana Carolina Cardoso,
  • Bruna Leticia Buzati Pereira,
  • Renata Aparecida Candido Silva,
  • Andrea Freitas Goncalves Della Ripa,
  • Tatiana Fernanda Bachiega Pinelli,
  • Bruna Camargo Oliveira,
  • Bruna Paola Murino Rafacho,
  • Larissa Lumi Watanabe Ishikawa,
  • Paula Schmidt Azevedo,
  • Katashi Okoshi,
  • Ana Angelica Henrique Fernandes,
  • Leonardo Antonio Mamede Zornoff,
  • Marcos Ferreira Minicucci,
  • Bertha Furlan Polegato,
  • Sergio Alberto Rupp Paiva

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 17, no. 3

Abstract

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Myocardial infarction has a high mortality rate worldwide. Therefore, clinical intervention in cardiac remodeling after myocardial infarction is essential. Açai pulp is a natural product and has been considered a functional food because of its antioxidant/anti-inflammatory properties. The aim of the present study was to analyze the effect of açai pulp supplementation on cardiac remodeling after myocardial infarction in rats. After 7 days of surgery, male Wistar rats were assigned to six groups: sham animals fed standard chow (SA0, n = 14), fed standard chow with 2% açai pulp (SA2, n = 12) and fed standard chow with 5% açai pulp (SA5, n = 14), infarcted animals fed standard chow (IA0, n = 12), fed standard chow with 2% açai pulp (IA2, n = 12), and fed standard chow with 5% açai pulp (IA5, n = 12). After 3 months of supplementation, echocardiography and euthanasia were performed. Açai pulp supplementation, after myocardial infarction, improved energy metabolism, attenuated oxidative stress (lower concentration of malondialdehyde, P = 0.023; dose-dependent effect), modulated the inflammatory process (lower concentration of interleukin-10, P<0.001; dose-dependent effect) and decreased the deposit of collagen (lower percentage of interstitial collagen fraction, P<0.001; dose-dependent effect). In conclusion, açai pulp supplementation attenuated cardiac remodeling after myocardial infarction in rats. Also, different doses of açai pulp supplementation have dose-dependent effects on cardiac remodeling.