Hypertriglyceridemia and hypertension seem to be very important cardiovascular risk factors. The Prague hereditary hypertriglyceridemic (hHTG) rat was developed as a model of human hypertriglyceridemia. It was demonstrated that these rats are not obese, they are hypertensive and insulin resistant and they have some disturbances in glucose metabolism. Several QTLs were identified for blood pressure, its particular components (dependent on major vasoactive systems) and plasma triglycerides throughout the genome of hHTG rats by using of F(2) hybrids strategy. It is evident that hHTG rats are a suitable model for the study of metabolic disturbances in relation to blood pressure as well as for the search of genetic determinants of these abnormalities. Numerous abnormalities of blood pressure regulation as well as alterations in the structure and function of cardiovascular apparatus (heart, conduit and resistance arteries) were found in hHTG rats. A special attention was paid to possible changes in the efficiency of various vasoactive systems such as nitric oxide, renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system and sympathetic nervous system, which seem to contribute substantially to cardiovascular and/or metabolic abnormalities observed in Prague hereditary hypertriglyceridemic rats.

Numerous studies document an increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) with a subsequent decrease in nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability in different cardiovascular diseases, including hypertension, atherosclerosis, and heart failure. Many natural polyphenols have been demonstrated to decrease ROS generation and/or to induce the endogenous antioxidant enzymatic defense system. Moreover, different polyphenolic compounds have the ability to increase the activity/expression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) with a subsequent enhancement of NO generation. However, as a result of low absorption and bioavailability of natural polyphenols, the beneficial effects of these substances are very limited. Recent progress in delivering polyphenols to the targeted tissues revealed new possibilities for the use of polymeric nanoparticles in increasing the efficiency and reducing the degradability of natural polyphenols. This review focuses on the effects of different natural polyphenolic substances, especially resveratrol, quercetin, curcumin, and cherry extracts, and their ability to bind to polymeric nanoparticles, and summarizes the effects of polyphenol-loaded nanoparticles, mainly in the cardiovascular system.

This review is focused on the study of the effects of grape seed and skin extract (GSSE) on human health. GSSE contains high concentrations of important polyphenolic substances with high biological activity. This review is a summary of studies that investigate the effects of GSSE on diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease and cancer, its neuroprotective effect, and its effects on the gastrointestinal tract and other health complications related to these diseases. The results of the studies confirm that the anti-inflammatory, antiapoptotic, and pro-proliferative effects of “Vitis vinifera L.” seed extract reduce the level of oxidative stress and improve the overall lipid metabolism.

Myocardial infarction (MI) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality across the world. It manifests as an imbalance between blood demand and blood delivery in the myocardium, which leads to cardiac ischemia and myocardial necrosis. While it is not easy to identify the first pathogenic cause of MI, the consequences are characterized by ischemia, chronic inflammation, and tissue degeneration. A poor MI prognosis is associated with extensive cardiac remodeling. A loss of viable cardiomyocytes is replaced with fibrosis, which reduces heart contractility and heart function. Recent advances have given rise to the concept of natural polyphenols. These bioactive compounds have been studied for their pharmacological properties and have proven successful in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Studies have focused on their various bioactivities, such as their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects and free radical scavenging. In this review, we summarized the effects and benefits of polyphenols on the cardiovascular injury, particularly on the treatment of myocardial infarction in animal and human studies.

Aronia melanocarpahas attracted scientific interest due to its dense contents of different polyphenols. We aimed to analyse effects ofAronia melanocarpa(AME) extract on blood pressure (BP), lipid peroxidation, cytokine level, total NOS activity in the left ventricle (LV), and aorta of L‐NAME‐induced hypertensive rats. 12‐week‐old male WKY rats were assigned to the control group and groups treated with AME extract (57.90 mg/kg/day), L‐NAME (40 mg/kg/day), or combination of L‐NAME (40 mg/kg/day) and AME (57.90 mg/kg/day) in tap water for 3 weeks. NOS activity, eNOS protein expression, and conjugated diene (CD) concentration were determined in the LV and aorta. After 3 weeks of L‐NAME treatment, BP was increased by 28% and concomitant treatment with AME reduced it by 21%. NOS activity of the LV and aorta in the L‐NAME group was decreased by about 40%, while AME increased it almost on the control level. AME‐induced eNOS upregulation may contribute to increase NOS activity. Moreover, AME decreased CD concentration in the LV and aorta and TNF‐αand IL‐6 production in the plasma were increased by L‐NAME treatment. In conclusion, our results showed that active substances ofAronia melanocarpamay have a positive effect on blood pressure, NOS activity, and proinflammatory processes in L‐NAME‐induced hypertension.