Beneficial effects of phycobiliproteins from Spirulina maxima in a preeclampsia model

• Published in: Life sciences (1973) Vol. 211; pp. 17 - 24
• Main Authors: Castro-García, Seidy Z., Chamorro-Cevallos, Germán, Quevedo-Corona, Lucía, McCarty, Mark F., Bobadilla-Lugo, Rosa A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier Inc 15.10.2018; Elsevier BV
• Subjects: Animals; Antioxidants; Aorta; Aortic Coarctation - drug therapy; Aortic Coarctation - pathology; Blood pressure; Blood Pressure - drug effects; Contractility; Cyanobacteria; Damage prevention; Disease Models, Animal; Effects; Enzymatic activity; Female; Free radicals; Glucose; Immunoglobulins; Ischemia; Metabolism; Oxidative Stress - drug effects; Phycobiliproteins; Phycobiliproteins - administration & dosage; Pre-eclampsia; Pre-Eclampsia - drug therapy; Pre-Eclampsia - pathology; Preeclampsia; Pregnancy; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Saline solutions; Security; Spirulina - chemistry; Spirulina maxima; Thoracic and abdominal aorta; Vascular contractility; Vein & artery diseases; Weight; Phycobiliproteins; Thoracic and abdominal aorta; Vascular contractility; Preeclampsia
• ISSN: 0024-3205; 1879-0631
• DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2018.09.011

Considering phycobiliproteins of Spirulina maxima has shown a wide margin of security in pregnant and non-pregnant animals as well as antioxidant properties, present study aimed to investigate if the cardiovascular and metabolic effects of an experimental model of preeclampsia can be prevented by the administration of this compound. Subrenal aortic coarctation (SRAC) practiced to female Wistar rats of 8 weeks of age. Animals were divided randomly to conform non-pregnant and pregnant groups and pregnant with SRAC showed fetoplacental ischemia and were considered preeclamptic (PE). Groups were treated with saline solution (control group) or phycobiliproteins solution (100 mg/kg/day ig) for the last 7, 14 or 20 days of pregnancy. PE animals showed increased systolic blood pressure, weight gain, glucose and GTT as well as vascular contractility. Also, PE animals showed decreased SOD, GPx activities while MDA was increased. Phycobiliproteins oral treatment for 3 weeks significantly decreased systolic blood pressure and reestablished glucose, weight gain and vascular contractility as well as enzyme activities of PE rats to those of normal pregnant animals. Our results show that phycobiliproteins can prevent the damage produced by fetoplacental ischemia and provides evidence of free radical species contribution to the physiopathology of the disease. Also, we conclude phycobiliproteins can be an alternative to reduce preeclampsia manifestations, however, more studies are recommended.