Role of Bioactive Components in Inflammation and Oxidative Stress in Vascular Endothelium

An increasing number of scientific evidence supports the preventive value of dietary patterns that favor the consumption of plant food. Especially fruit, vegetables, grains and legumes; the correlation between the reduction of risk of chronic disease such as adherence to the Mediterranean diet is the most significant example. The central role of the endothelium in maintaining vascular homeostasis and the correlation between endothelial dysfunction and the development of cardiovascular diseases makes this tissue a primary target for dietary strategies aimed at cardiovascular diseases prevention. Research in the field of nutrition is therefore directed to the identification of food bioactive components with beneficial effects on the endothelium. This study first focused on the evaluation of the potential vascular protective effects of a wheat peptide belonging to the family of non-specific lipid transfer proteins type 2 (nsLTP2). nsLTP2, at physiological concentrations, showed antioxidant and cytoprotective effects in HUVECs undergoing oxidative/inflammatory stimulation and demonstrated modulatory capacity on the expression of adhesion molecules and heme oxygenase-1, both involved in endothelial inflammation. Polyphenols are widely studied antioxidant compounds and research supports the preventive/protective role of a polyphenol-rich diet. Despite experimental evidence of their positive influence on human health, to date there is no clear indication of the compunds responsible for this protective role. In fact, upon ingestion polyphenols are extensively metabolized and the molecule that will act at cellular level will more likely be a metabolite. For this reason the second part of the study focused on the protective effect of polyphenol metabolites belonging to two families: cinnamic acids and anthocyanins. Overall the tested compounds demonstrated antioxidant and cytoprotective activities at endothelial level in oxidative/inflammatory conditions, being also able to affect adhesion molecules expression. These observations may support and characterize biological activities of bioactive peptides and polyphenols metabolites beneficial to vascular health.