Nutr Res Pract.  2020 Aug;14(4):322-333. 10.4162/nrp.2020.14.4.322.

The fruit of Acanthopanax senticosus Harms improves arterial stiffness and blood pressure: a randomized, placebo-controlled trial

• Oh E
• Kim Y
• Park Sy
• Lim Y
• Shin Jy
• Kim JY
• Kim JH
• Rhee MY
• Kwon O

• KMID: 2504749
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4162/nrp.2020.14.4.322

Abstract

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES
Arterial stiffness and endothelial dysfunction are 2 of the independent predictors for cardiovascular disease, while Acanthopanax senticosus Harms (ASH) is a traditional medicinal plant that can improve cardiovascular health. This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of the fruit of ASH on vascular function in apparently healthy subjects.
SUBJECTS/METHODS
A 12-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled design, consisting of healthy adults with at least 2 of the following 3 conditions: borderline high blood pressure (BP; 120 mmHg ≤ systolic BP ≤ 160 mmHg or 80 mmHg ≤ diastolic BP ≤ 100 mmHg), smoking (≥10 cigarettes/day), and borderline blood lipid levels (220 ≤ total cholesterol ≤ 240, 130 ≤ low density lipoprotein cholesterol ≤ 165, or 150 ≤ triglyceride ≤ 220 mg/dL). Randomly assigned 76 subjects who received a placebo or 2 doses of ASH fruit (low, 500 mg/day; high, 1,000 mg/day) completed the intervention. Brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), flow-mediated dilation, carotid intima-media thickness, and BP were measured both at baseline and following the 12-week intervention. Endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) phosphorylation was assessed by western blotting.
RESULTS
Compared with the placebo group, the low-dose group showed more significant changes after the 12-week intervention period in terms of systolic BP (0.1 vs. −7.7 mmHg; P = 0.044), baPWV (31.3 vs. −98.7 cm/s; P = 0.007), and the ratio of phospho-eNOS/eNOS (0.8 vs. 1.22; P = 0.037).
CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that ASH fruit extract at 500 mg/day has the potential to improve BP and arterial stiffness via endothelial eNOS activation in healthy adults with smoking and the tendency of having elevated BP or blood lipid parameters.

Keyword

Vascular stiffness; cardiovascular diseases; Acanthopanax; pulse wave velocity; endothelial nitric oxide synthase

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials diagram showing the flow of participants through the intervention.

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  Fig. 2 Effect of ASH fruit supplementation over 12 weeks on biomarkers for vascular endothelial function: (A) eNOS phosphorylation in the erythrocytes and (B) oxLDL level in the plasma of apparently healthy subjects. The protein expression of eNOS and phosphorylation of eNOS were measured by western blotting and their levels normalized to β-actin as the loading control. Values are expressed as least-squares means ± 95% confidence intervals. Significant differences for the groups (placebo, low-dose, and high-dose), week (week 0 and week 12) and group-by-week interaction were evaluated using a linear mixed-effects model.ASH, Acanthopanax senticosus Harms; p-eNOS, phosphorylated endothelial nitric oxide synthase; eNOS, endothelial nitric oxide synthase; oxLDL, oxidized low density lipoprotein.*P < 0.05 vs. the placebo group.

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