Supplementation with the prebiotic high esterified pectin improves blood pressure and cardiovascular risk biomarkers profile, counteracting metabolic malprogramming

Abstract

[eng] Supplementation with the prebiotic pectin is associated with beneficial health effects. We aimed to characterise the cardioprotective actions of chronic high esterified pectin (HEP) supplementation (10%) in a model of metabolic malprogramming in rats, prone to obesity and associated disorders: the progeny of mild calorie-restricted dams during the first half of pregnancy. Results show that pectin supplementation reverses metabolic malprogramming associated with gestational undernutrition, improving blood pressure, reducing heart lipid content, and regulating cardiac gene expression of atrial natriuretic peptide and lipid metabolism-related genes, the circulating levels of fibroblast growth factor 21, and its co-receptor β-klotho expression in the heart. Most effects are correlated with the gut levels of beneficial bacteria promoted by HEP. Therefore, chronic HEP supplementation shows cardioprotective actions and hence it is worth considering as a strategy to prevent programmed cardiometabolic alterations.