Açai supplementation (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) attenuates cardiac remodeling after myocardial infarction in rats through different mechanistic pathways
by Amanda Menezes Figueiredo, Ana Carolina Cardoso, Bruna Leticia Buzati Pereira, Renata Aparecida Candido Silva, Andrea Freitas Goncalves Della Ripa, Tatiana Fernanda Bachiega Pinelli, Bruna Camargo Oliveira, Bruna Paola Murino Rafacho, Larissa Lumi Watanabe Ishikawa, Paula Schmidt Azevedo, Katashi Okoshi, Ana Angelica Henrique Fernandes, Leonardo Antonio Mamede Zornoff, Marcos Ferreira Minicucci, Bertha Furlan Polegato, Sergio Alberto Rupp Paiva
Myocardial infarction has a high mortality rate worldwide. Therefore, clinical intervention in cardiac remodeling after myocardial infarction is essential. Açai pulp is a natural product and has been considered a functional food because of its antioxidant/anti-inflammatory properties. The aim of the present study was to analyze the effect of açai pulp supplementation on cardiac remodeling after myocardial infarction in rats. After 7 days of surgery, male Wistar rats were assigned to six groups: sham animals fed standard chow (SA0, n = 14), fed standard chow with 2% açai pulp (SA2, n = 12) and fed standard chow with 5% açai pulp (SA5, n = 14), infarcted animals fed standard chow (IA0, n = 12), fed standard chow with 2% açai pulp (IA2, n = 12), and fed standard chow with 5% açai pulp (IA5, n = 12). After 3 months of supplementation, echocardiography and euthanasia were performed. Açai pulp supplementation, after myocardial infarction, improved energy metabolism, attenuated oxidative stress (lower concentration of malondialdehyde, P = 0.023; dose-dependent effect), modulated the inflammatory process (lower concentration of interleukin-10, P<0.001; dose-dependent effect) and decreased the deposit of collagen (lower percentage of interstitial collagen fraction, P<0.001; dose-dependent effect). In conclusion, açai pulp supplementation attenuated cardiac remodeling after myocardial infarction in rats. Also, different doses of açai pulp supplementation have dose-dependent effects on cardiac remodeling.