Blood pressure-lowering properties of chokeberry (Aronia mitchurinii, var. Viking)

• Main Authors: Jarkko K. Hellström, Alexander N. Shikov, Marina N. Makarova, Anne M. Pihlanto, Olga N. Pozharitskaya, Eeva-Liisa Ryhänen, Pirjo Kivijärvi, Valery G. Makarov, Pirjo H. Mattila
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2010-04-01
• Series: Journal of Functional Foods
• Subjects: Aronia mitchurinii; Chokeberry; Blood pressure; Antihypertensive; Polyphenols
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1756464610000253

The blood pressure-lowering properties of lyophilized chokeberry juice and polyphenols were monitored using in vitro angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition measurement and a 10 day in vivo study with spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Juice and polyphenols indicated weak ACE-inhibitory activity. The IC50 values for polyphenols and juice were 1.5–2.5 and 4.5 mg dry matter/ml, respectively. In the SHR study the blood pressure-lowering effects of juice and polyphenol extract seemed to be short-term and were generally highest after 3 h from administration (50 mg/kg/day) when mean reductions in systolic blood pressure were 20 ± 8 and 15 ± 7 mm Hg, respectively. Corresponding mean decreases in diastolic blood pressure were 23 ± 6 and 13 ± 2 mm Hg in juice and polyphenol groups, respectively. It was concluded that both chokeberry juice and polyphenols had blood pressure-lowering effects. We hypothesize that chokeberry polyphenols enhance endothelial nitric oxide production with an ACE-independent mechanism, e.g. by activation of endothelial nitric oxidase enzyme; this is yet to be verified.