ROS suppression by egg white hydrolysate in DOCA-salt rats—An alternative tool against vascular dysfunction in severe hypertension

This article belongs to the Special Issue Antioxidant Properties and Potential Mechanisms of Protein Hydrolysates.This study aimed to evaluate the potential for lowering blood pressure and beneficial effects on mesenteric resistance arteries (MRA) and conductance vessels (aorta) produced by dietary supplementation of an egg white hydrolysate (EWH) in rats with severe hypertension induced by deoxycorticosterone plus salt treatment (DOCA-salt), as well as the underlying mechanisms involved. The DOCA-salt model presented higher blood pressure, which was significantly reduced by EWH. The impaired acetylcholine-induced relaxation and eNOS expression observed in MRA and aorta from DOCA-salt rats was ameliorated by EWH. This effect on vessels (MRA and aorta) was related to the antioxidant effect of EWH, since hydrolysate intake prevented the NF-κB/TNFα inflammatory pathway and NADPH oxidase-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, as well as the mitochondrial source of ROS in MRA. At the plasma level, EWH blocked the higher ROS and MDA generation by DOCA-salt treatment, without altering the antioxidant marker. In conclusion, EWH demonstrated an antihypertensive effect in a model of severe hypertension. This effect could be related to its endothelium-dependent vasodilator properties mediated by an ameliorated vessel’s redox imbalance and inflammatory state.This work was supported by the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development—CNPq [Edital Universal/CNPq No 44181/2014-9 and PQ/CNPq 311834/2020-5]; Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior—Brasil (CAPES); Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Rio Grande do Sul—FAPERGS/Brazil [PQG:19/2551-0001810-0]; Programa Nacional de Cooperação Acadêmica; Pró-reitoria de Pesquisa—Universidade Federal do Pampa [N. 20180615102630]; FAPES/CNPq/PRONEX [N. 80598773], Foundation for Research Support of the State of Sao Paulo (FAPESP 2019/08026-5), and Spanish Goverment by the Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI) and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) [AGL2017-89213]; I-COOP+2020 (COOPA 20453). ELA were supported by CAPES/Brazil, CRM by FAPERGS/Brazil and PHD, CTH by Unipampa. LVR are research fellows from CNPq (312237/2021-9).Peer reviewe