Cardioprotective Effect of a Virgin Olive Oil Enriched with Bioactive Compounds in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats

The following are available online at https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/11/8/1728/s1, Table S1: Detailed composition of the olive oils used in the study. Figure S1: Systolic blood pressure at the beginning and end of the intervention. The data are means ± SEM. The ANOVA test were used to compare results between groups for a normal distribution variable, and for multiple comparisons among groups. The Bonferroni post hoc test was used. p < 0.05 was considered significant. SHR, spontaneously hypertensive rats. SHR-CO, spontaneously hypertensive rats supplemented with the control olive oil. SHR-FOO, spontaneously hypertensive rats supplemented with the functional olive oil. WKY-H, Wistar Kyoto healthy rats.The authors thank M.C.R.P. who carried out the technical work. P.V. carried out animal manipulation, and I.R.V. and R.W. helped in the sacrifice of the animals and Promotion and the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER). CIBERobn is an initiative of ISCIII. Promotion and the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER). CIBERobn is an initiative of ISCIII and Development Network, SAMID Network, Ref. RD16/0022/0015, funded by the PN 2018–2021 (Spain), ISCIII-Sub-Directorate General for Research Assessment. In addition, we thank the co-financing of the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER), and that corresponding to the companies SAN FRANCISCO DE ASIS DE MONTEFRÍO S. Coop.; AGROINSUR S.L.; AGROÍSA S.L.; CANO MARCHAL EUROPA S.L. and GEA WESTFALIA SEPARATOR IBERICA S.AOlive oil and its derivatives have been described to exert beneficial effects on hypertensive states and cardiovascular disease prevention. We studied the effects of chronic consumption of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), enriched in bioactive compounds from olive fruit and leaves, on blood pressure, endothelial function, oxidative and inflammatory status, and circulating cholesterol levels, in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Thirty SHR were randomly assigned to three groups: a control untreated SHR group, an SHR group (1 mL/rat/day) of a control olive oil (17.6 mg/kg of phenolic compounds), and an SHR group (1 mL/rat/day) of the enriched EVOO (750 mg/kg of phenolic compounds) for eight weeks. Ten Wistar Kyoto rats (WKY) were included as healthy controls. Long-term administration of the enriched EVOO decreased systolic blood pressure and cardiac hypertrophy, and improved the ex vivo aortic endothelial dysfunction measured in SHR. Moreover, enriched oil supplementation reduced the plasma levels of Angiotensin II and total cholesterol, and the urinary levels of endothelin-1 and oxidative stress biomarkers, while pro-inflammatory cytokines were unaffected. In conclusion, sustained treatment with EVOO, enriched in bioactive compounds from the olive fruit and leaves, may be an effective tool for reducing blood pressure and cholesterol levels alone or in combination with pharmacological anti-hypertensive treatment.This research was funded by the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness of Spain, and to the Junta and Andalucía, through the FEDER INNTERCONECTA Program of the Center for Industrial Technological Development (CDTI), CARDIOLIVE Study Project No. ITC-20151142 ((EXP 00083147)