The aim of the present study was to evaluate the vascular effects of an enzymatic extract of grape pomace (GP-EE) on isolated arteries, focusing our attention on endothelium-derived relaxation and on its antioxidant properties. Grape pomace derived from wine making was extracted by an enzymatic process and its composition of polyphenols was evaluated by HPLC and ESI-MS/MS, detecting kaempferol, catechin, quercetin and procyanidins B1 and B2, trace levels of resveratrol and tracing out gallocatechin and anthocyanidins. GP-EE induced endothelium- and NO-dependent vasodilatation of both rat aorta and small mesenteric artery (SMA) segments and reduced Phe-induced response in aortic rings.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground And Purpose: Rice bran enzymatic extract (RBEE) has advantages compared to the original rice bran or its oils including water solubility, lack of rancidity and increased content in high nutritional proteins and nutraceutical compounds, particularly phytosterols, γ-oryzanol and tocols. Our aim was to determine the beneficial effects of RBEE in the pathogenesis of metabolic syndrome in obese Zucker rats.
Methods: Obese Zucker rats and their lean littermates were fed a 1 and 5 % RBEE-supplemented diet (O1, O5, L1 and L5).