Cardioprotective effects of red wine and vodka in a model of endothelial dysfunction.

Background: Moderate alcohol consumption is largely believed to be cardioprotective, while red wine is hypothesized to offer benefit in part due to the proangiogenic and antioxidant properties of polyphenols. We investigated the cardiovascular effects of both red wine and vodka in a swine model of endothelial dysfunction.

Methods: Twenty-seven male Yorkshire swine fed a high-fat/cholesterol diet were divided into three groups and received either no alcohol (Control), red wine, or vodka. After 7 wk, myocardial perfusion was measured, and ventricular tissue was analyzed for microvascular reactivity and immunohistochemical studies.

Results: There were no differences in myocardial perfusion, in arteriolar or capillary density, or in VEGF expression among groups. Total protein oxidation as well as expression of superoxide dismutase-1 and -2 and NADPH oxidase was decreased in both treatment groups compared to controls. Endothelium-dependent microvessel relaxation, however, was significantly improved only in the red wine-supplemented group.

Conclusions: Supplementation with both red wine and vodka decreased oxidative stress by several measures, implicating the effects of ethanol in reducing oxidative stress in the myocardium. However, it was only in the red wine-supplemented group that an improvement in microvessel function was observed. This suggests that a component of red wine, independent of ethanol, possibly a polyphenol such as resveratrol, may confer cardioprotection by normalizing endothelial dysfunction induced by an atherogenic diet.