Chronic treatment with red wine modulates the purinergic neurotransmission and decreases blood pressure in hypertensive SHR and diabetic-STZ rats

Abstract

It is known that red wine has cardioprotective properties. However, its influence is unknown about purinergic system. Therefore, we study the influence of the treatment with red wine or ethanol in purinergic neurotransmission. We used Wistar Kyoto rats (WKY), diabetic streptozotocin-induced WKY and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), treated with red wine (12.5%) or ethanol (12.5%). The cardiovascular function stimulated with purinergic agonists and systolic blood pressure (SBP) was assessed. In atria of diabetics and SHRs, the P1 receptor response was decreased, unlike the P2 receptor response was increased. Likewise, in aorta the affinity to adenosine (ADO) was decreased from SHRs and diabetics. Furthermore, the P2X function was increased just SHRs. All these alterations were improved after treatment with red wine, resulting in reduction of SBP from diabetics and SHRs, but not when treated with ethanol. This study has important implications, because it is shown that consumption of red wine can improve cardiovascular system by purinergic neurotransmission.

• Cardiovascular system
• functional food
• red wine
• sympathetic neurotransmission

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. We appreciate the financial support of CAPES and FAPESP (Brazil) and of technical support to Haydee Reuter, Maria de Lourdes L. dos Santos and Bruno Palmieri de Souza.