Pomegranate Protection against Cardiovascular Diseases
Figure 10
Pomegranate by-product (PBP) consumption by E0 mice attenuates atherosclerotic lesion development, in association with reduction in Ox-LDL uptake, and in macrophage oxidative stress, and on elevation in cellular paraoxonase 2 (PON2) activity. E0 mice consumed PBP (17 or 51.5 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/kg/day) for 3 months. Control mice received only water (placebo). At the end of the study, the mice aortas, as well as, the mice peritoneal macrophages were harvested. (a) Atherosclerotic lesion size determination. (b) The extent of Ox-LDL (25 μg of protein/mL, labeled with FITC) uptake by the mice macrophages was determined using flow cytometry. (c) Macrophage lipid peroxides level. (d) Macrophage PON2 lactonase activity towards dihydrocoumarin. Results are expressed as mean ± S.D of three different determinations. * versus Placebo.
