Dietary nitrate does not alter cardiac function, calcium handling proteins, or SERCA activity in the left ventricle of healthy rats.

Dietary nitrate has been shown to increase cytosolic calcium concentrations within the heart, which would necessitate greater calcium sequestration for relaxation. In the present study we demonstrate that while nitrate supplementation reduced blood pressure, calcium-handling protein content, sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum Ca-ATPase 2a (SERCA) enzymatic properties, and left ventricular function were not altered. In addition, nitrite did not alter in vitro SERCA activity. Combined, these data suggest that in healthy rats, dietary nitrate does not increase left ventricle SERCA-related calcium-handling properties. Dietary nitrate decreases blood pressure but does not alter left ventricular calcium-handling protein content or SERCA activity in healthy rats.