(P26-003-25) Effect of Baru Nut Supplementation on Blood Pressure and Renal Oxidative Stress-Related Proteins in Mice Consuming a Western Diet

Objectives: Western diet, characterized by high intakes of saturated fat, sugar and salt, is a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. Plant-based foods, such as nuts, have been shown to be both cardioprotective and renal protective. Baru (Dipteryx alata) is a tree native to the Brazilian Cerrado that produces Baru nuts which are rich in monounsaturated fats and antioxidants. Thus, this study aimed to determine whether Baru nut supplementation is effective at reducing blood pressure (BP) and renal oxidative stress in mice fed a western-style diet.

Methods: UM-HET3 mice were either fed a low-fat, low-sucrose, low-salt (LFLSS) diet (control; n=24) or LFLSS supplemented with 5% (w/w) baru nut (LFLSS + BA) for 4 weeks. At week 5, a subset of LFLSS mice were switched to consume a high-fat, high-sucrose, high-salt (HFHSS; n=12) diet while LFLSS + BA was switched to a HFHSS + BA (5% w/w; n=12) diet for an additional 12 weeks. BP was measured biweekly starting at week 4 using tail-cuff plethysmography. Kidneys were collected at sacrifice (week 16) and western blot was performed to measure expression of oxidative stress proteins. Shapiro-Wilk test and Levene’s test were used to evaluate normality and variance, respectively. One-way ANOVA or Kruskal-Wallis, followed by Tukey’s and Dunn’s post-hoc test as appropriate were performed. Data are presented as mean ± standard deviation.

Results: Systolic BP was found to be lower in the HFHSS + BA group at week 10 compared to the HFHSS group alone (98 ± 8 vs 111 ± 15 mmHg, p = 0.03). This significant difference was abrogated at week 16 (102 ± 13 mmHg vs 105 ± 8 mmHg, p = 0.8, HFHSS + BA vs HFHSS, respectively). HFHSS diet significantly (p = 0.03) decreased the expression of superoxide dismutase (Sod)2, an antioxidant enzyme, which was prevented by supplementation with BA (p = 0.004). No significant differences among groups were observed for the expression of NADPH oxidase (Nox)1 or xanthine oxidase (Xo)1, pro-oxidant enzymes, or α-smooth muscle actin, a marker of fibrosis.

Conclusions: Baru nut supplementation was able to improve systolic BP short-term but not long-term. Nonetheless, BA nut was able to favorably modulate the antioxidant response. Further analysis is underway.

Funding Sources: Lewis College Foundation Award