Winery by-products as a valuable source for natural antihypertensive agents

Abstract

Hypertension (HTN) is one of the leading causes of death in the world. Agri-food by-products are emerging as a novel source of natural antihypertensive agents allowing for their valorization and making food and agricultural industries more environmentally friendly. In this regard, wine making process generates large amounts of by-products rich in phenolic compounds that have shown potential to exert several beneficial effects including antihypertensive properties. The aim of this study was to review the blood pressure-lowering effects of winery by-products. In addition, molecular mechanisms involved in their bioactivity were also evaluated. Among the winery by-products, grape seed extracts have widely shown antihypertensive properties in both animal and human studies. Moreover, recent evidence suggests that grape stem, skin and pomace and wine lees may also have great potential to manage HTN, although more studies are needed in order to confirm their potential in humans. Improvement of endothelial dysfunction and reduction of oxidative stress associated with HTN are the main mechanisms involved in the blood pressure-lowering effects of these by-products.

Graphical Abstract

Keywords:

• Antioxidant activity
• blood pressure
• grape
• hypertension
• phenolic compound
• wine

Acknowledgements

F.I.B is a Serra Húnter Fellow.

Author contributions

Conceptualization, C.T-F, F.I.B. and B.M.; Funding acquisition, C.T-F, F.I.B and B.M.; Supervision, F.I.B. and B.M.; Writing—Original Draft, R.L-F-S. and C.T-F; Writing—Review & Editing, R.L-F-S., C.T-F, F.I.B and B.M.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This work has been supported by the grant number RETOS COLABORACIÓN: RTC-2017-6044-2 from Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad and European Regional Development Fund (FEDER).