Reduction of blood pressure by aronia berries through inhibition of angiotensin-converting enzyme activity in the spontaneously hypertensive rat kidney

Abstract

Background: Aronia berries contain many important effects on potential health, with previous studies suggesting that aronia juice is useful for the treatment of hypertension.

Objective: To examine whether aronia berries have improvement effects on hypertension through the inhibition of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) activity.

Method: The normal diet containing 10% freeze-dried aronia berries was administered to five spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) in each group for 28 days, with their body weight, food intake, and systolic blood pressure being measured. At 28 days after administration of aronia berry-containing diets, the serum, lungs, and kidneys were isolated and used for measurement of ACE activity.

Results: In this study, we found that blood pressure in SHRs fed freeze-dried aronia berries-containing diet decreased compared with the blood pressure in SHRs fed normal diet. We also discovered that the catalytic activity of ACE was reduced in the kidney of SHRs fed freeze-dried aronia berries-containing diet but not in the lungs of aronia berries-administered rats.

Conclusion: Aronia berries have beneficial effects on the amelioration of hypertension through inhibition of the kidney renin-angiotensin system.

Key word: aronia, hypertension improvement, kidney renin-angiotensin system, ACE.