Plant-based foods rich in phenolic phytochemicals are among the promising strategies to counteract age-related changes in lipid profile. Aronia melanocarpa (AM) fruits are a rich source of phenolic compounds possessing lipid-modulating effects. The present study investigated the effect of 3-month supplementation of AM-based functional beverages on the lipid profile of healthy aging rats. Male Wistar rats (n = 40) were separated into five groups: (YC) young controls (2-month-old); (AC) adult controls (13-month-old); (A) adult animals supplemented with pure AM extract; (A + P) adult animals supplemented with pectin-enriched (1%) AM extract; (A + H) adult animals supplemented with AM extract enriched with a herbal mixture. Total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C), LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) and atherogenic indices were investigated at the end of the study. Adult controls demonstrated age-related dyslipidemia resulting in decreased HDL-C, and increased TG and TC/HDL index. The supplemented groups showed a significant increase in HDL-C levels: A + P (1.49 mmol/L) and A + H (1.61 mmol/L), respectively, vs. AC (1.09 mmol/L), p < 0.05. The TC/HDL-C and LDL-C/HDL-C indices were decreased in the A + P and A + H groups in comparison to the AC group (p < 0.05). These results indicate that supplementation with polyphenol-rich AM beverages can successfully alter HDL-C levels and this effect is further potentiated by pectin and herbs.

Introduction: Obesity is linked to the development of low-grade, chronic inflammation. Obesity-related inflammation appears to be a different type of inflammation, mainly due to excessive food intake and unusual homeostasis. It can be evaluated by measuring the concentration of pro- and anti-inflammatory marker molecules – C-reactive protein (CRP), serum amyloid-A (SAA) and interleukin-4. Aim: The aim of the present study is to evaluate the rate of the inflammatory process in heart, provoked by the consumption of a high-fat diet. Materials and methods: Sixty 8-week-old male Wistar rats were used in this experiment. The laboratory animals were fed orally with two different types of rodent food for 14 or 18 weeks – a high-fat diet (experimental groups) and standard rodent food (control groups). They all were kept under standard housing conditions. The levels of the pro- and anti-inflammatory markers in tissue homogenates from heart were analyzed using ELISA. Their expression in tissue samples was detected immunohistochemically by the biotin-streptavidin-peroxidase method. The total protein concentration was determined by the Lawry method. Results: CRP levels showed no significant differences when the control group was compared with the groups fed with a high-fat diet (p>0.05). The SAA levels detected were also insignificantly changed. Only the IL-4 tissue levels showed tendency to increase (p<0.05) in the high-fat diet group. Conclusions: Our experiment indicates that there is a specific reaction of the heart to a high-fat diet. It also refers to the existence of adaptive mechanisms allowing the heart to counteract the development of dietary induced inflammation.

The aim of the study is to evaluate the effect of Aronia melanocarpa fruit juice (AMJ) supplementation on age-related coronary arteries remodeled in aged rat hearts. Male Wistar rats (n = 24) were divided into three groups: (1) young controls (CY), aged 2 months, without AMJ supplementation; (2) old controls (CO), aged 27 months, without AMJ supplementation; and (3) the AMJ group (A), which used 27-month old animals, supplemented orally with AMJ for 105 days. AMJ supplementation did not influence the wall-to-diameter parameter (Kernohan index) of the coronary arteries of test animals. Aged rats supplemented with AMJ showed a significant decrease in the amount of collagen fibers in their coronary tunica media, as compared with the old controls. The intensity of the immunoreaction for alpha smooth muscle actin (αSMA) in the coronary tunica media was significantly lower in the supplemented group than in the old controls. The intensity of the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) immunoreaction in the coronary tunica media of the supplemented group was significantly higher than the one observed in the old controls. These results indicate the positive effects of AMJ supplementation on the age-dependent remodeling of coronary arteries and support for the preventive potential of antioxidant-rich functional food supplementation in age-related diseases.

The prolonged consumption of a high-fat diet (HFD) leads to abnormal growth of the visceral adipose tissue (VAT), increased macrophage infiltration, and altered secretion of biologically active molecules. This is considered as a precondition for the development of obesity, inflammation, and obesity-related disorders. Therefore, we studied HFD-induced changes in the tissue levels of the inflammatory markers C-reactive protein, serum amyloid-A, and interleukin-4 in healthy male Wistar rats. The animals were first divided at random into two groups subjected to either a standard or a high-fat diet. The initial effect of the diet was evaluated after fourteen weeks. In order to study the diet duration effect, the standard diet was given to twelve animals from the HFD group, while the remaining continued with the HFD for an additional four weeks. Our results showed that the HFD barely affected body mass index, conicity, relative fat mass, and Lee indices, whereas it provoked adipocyte hypertrophy and gradually increased the levels of both the pro- and anti-inflammatory markers. The switch from the high-fat to the standard diet resulted in the comparatively fast restoration of the baseline levels of the studied molecules. Although, the prolonged consumption of an HFD causes adipocyte hypertrophy in healthy male animals, the inflammatory process in VAT is well-coordinated, time-dependent, and reversible.

The mechanisms of the action of sex steroid hormones on the nervous system are related to both classical, intracellularly mediated effects and non-classical membrane effects due to binding to membrane receptors. Some steroids are capable of inducing rapid neurotransmitter-like effects, similar to those of dopamine or glutamate that alter the activity of neuronal systems via different types of receptors. The neuroactive steroids are endogenous neuromodulators synthesized in the brain and rapidly affecting neuronal excitability. Sex steroids exert many pleiotropic effects in the nervous system: they modulate main neurotransmitter systems, promote the viability of neurons, play an important role in myelination, and influence cognitive processes. Estradiol protects neurons from excitotoxic damage and increases neuronal survival. Progesterone stimulates neurological and functional recovery. Androgens also exhibit a wide array of neuroprotective effects in motoneurons, including supporting cell survival, axonal regeneration, and dendritic maintenance. Despite the considerable increase of sex hormones and neurosteroids research in recent years and the ongoing discovery of biochemical mechanisms of action, their role in neurodegenerative processes remains not well determined.

Background: Cardiac aging is associated with myocardial remodeling and reduced angiogenesis. Counteracting these changes with natural products is a preventive strategy with great potential. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of Aronia melanocarpa fruit juice (AMJ) supplementation on age-related myocardial remodeling in aged rat hearts. Methods: Healthy male Wistar rats (n = 24) were divided into three groups: (1) young controls (CY)—age 2 months; (2) old controls (CO)—age 27 months; (3) AMJ group—27-month-old animals, supplemented with Aronia melanocarpa juice (AMJ) at a dose of 10 mL∙kg⁻¹ for 105 days. After this period, the hearts of the animals were fixed, embedded in paraffin, and immunohistochemical and morphometric analyses were performed. Results: A higher vascular and capillary density was found in the hearts of the AMJ group, as compared to CO. The mean number of CD34+ cells in the myocardium increased by 18.6% in the AMJ group, as compared to CO (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) immunoexpression in the myocardium increased by 37% (p < 0.05) and the Proto-oncogene Mas receptor (MAS1) immunoexpression increased by 6% (p < 0.05) in the AMJ group, as compared to CO. Conclusions: As a result of the application of AMJ, noticeable neovascularization was found, which indicates improved myocardial nourishment. The present study demonstrates for the first time that polyphenol-rich AMJ can positively influence age-related microvascular myocardial remodeling in rats, thus outlining its potential as a preventive agent for healthy cardiac aging.