Infused juice concentrate of Japanese fruit reduces inflammatory remodeling in hypertension

Bainiku-ekisu stopped the inflammatory vascular remodeling and hypertension that Ang II causes, says an article published in Hypertension research. In Japan, fruit from the Prunus mume tree is a staple cuisine. Recently, bainiku-ekisu, a Japanese Prunus mume-infused juice concentrate, has gained popularity as a dietary supplement. Angiotensin II, sometimes known as Ang II, is crucial in the development of hypertension.

A bainiku-ekisu therapy has been shown to reduce the growth-promoting signaling that Ang II causes in vascular smooth muscle cells. It is uncertain, nevertheless, if bainiku-ekisu affects an animal model of hypertension in any way. Therefore, using a mouse model of hypertension with Ang II infusion, Keisuke Okuno and colleagues carried out this investigation to investigate the possible anti-hypertensive efficacy of bainiku-ekisu.

Male C57BL/6 mice were given Ang II injections for two weeks, followed by two weeks of either 0.1% bainiku-ekisu-containing water or regular water, with blood pressure readings. The aortas from the mice that had been put to death after two weeks were taken for examination of remodeling.

The key findings of this study were:

After Ang II infusion, control mice developed aortic medial hypertrophy; this was reduced in the bainiku-ekisu group. Bainiku-ekisu further reduced immune cell infiltration and collagen-producing cell induction in the aorta.

Ang II-induced hypertension's onset was likewise stopped by bainiku-ekisu.

The bainiku-ekisu showed protection against Ang II-induced heart hypertrophy.

In vascular fibroblasts, bainiku-ekisu reduced the activation of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1, an indicator of ER stress, phosphorylation of inositol requiring enzyme-1, and an increase in glucose uptake in response to Ang II.

Reference:

Okuno, K., Torimoto, K., Kuroda, R., Cicalese, S. M., Okuno, Y., Kono, R., Marumoto, S., Utsunomiya, H., & Eguchi, S. (2023). Infused juice concentrate of Japanese plum Prunus mume attenuates inflammatory vascular remodeling in a mouse model of hypertension induced by angiotensin II. In Hypertension Research. Springer Science and Business Media LLC. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41440-023-01332-9