A Dietary Resveratrol-Rich Grape Extract Prevents the Developing of Atherosclerotic Lesions in the Aorta of Pigs Fed an Atherogenic Diet

The presence of grape and wine polyphenol resveratrol
(RES) in
the diet is negligible. Therefore, the cardiovascular benefits of
this molecule, in a dietary context, remain to be established. We
aimed to investigate, through dietary intervention, the effects of
a resveratrol-rich grape extract (GE-RES) on the prevention of early
aortic lesions in pigs fed an atherogenic diet (AD). These effects
were compared with those produced by a grape extract lacking RES (GE)
or RES alone. Pigs fed the AD for 4 months showed early atherosclerotic
lesions in the thoracic aorta: degeneration and fragmentation of elastic
fibers, increase of intima thickness, subendothelial fibrosis, and
accumulation of fatty cells and anion superoxide radicals. GE-RES
was the most effective treatment and prevented the disruption of aortic
elastic fibers, decreased their alteration (57%), and reduced the
intima thickness (33%) and the accumulation of fatty cells (42%) and
O2•– (38%) in aortic tissue. In
addition, GE-RES moderately downregulated the expression of the suppressors
of cytokine signaling 1 (SOCS1) and 3 (SOCS3), key regulators of vascular cell responses, in peripheral mononuclear
blood cells. Our results suggest that the consumption of this GE-RES
nutraceutical, in a dietary prevention context, could prevent early
atherosclerotic events. The presence of RES in the grape extract strengthened
these effects.