Table Of ContentNatural Products and
Cardiovascular Health
Clinical Pharmacognosy Series
Series Editors
Navindra P. Seeram and Luigi Antonio Morrone
Herbal Medicines
Development and Validation of Plant-Derived Medicines for Human Health
Giacinto Bagetta, Marco Cosentino, Marie Tizianna Corasaniti, and Shinobu Sakurada
Natural Products Interactions on Genomes
Siva G. Somasundaram
Aromatherapy
Basic Mechanisms and Evidence Based Clinical Use
Giacinto Bagetta, Marco Cosentino, and Tsukasa Sakurada
Natural Products and Cardiovascular Health
Catherina Caballero-George
Natural Products and
Cardiovascular Health
Edited by
Catherina Caballero-George
CRC Press
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Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Names: Caballero-George, Catherina, editor.
Title: Natural products and cardiovascular health / [edited by] Catherina C. Caballero-George.
Description: Boca Raton : Taylor & Francis, 2018. | Includes bibliographical references.
Identifiers: LCCN 2018035552 | ISBN 9781498789004
Subjects: | MESH: Cardiovascular Diseases—therapy | Cardiovascular
Diseases—drug therapy | Phytotherapy—methods | Biological Products—chemistry
Classification: LCC RC671 | NLM WG 120 | DDC 616.1/06—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018035552
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Contents Contents
To Micaela, my daughter and inspiration
Contents
Foreword ...................................................................................................................ix
Preface.......................................................................................................................xi
Acknowledgments ..................................................................................................xiii
Contributors .............................................................................................................xv
Chapter 1 Beneficial Effects of Omega-3 Fatty Acids on
Cardiovascular Disease ........................................................................1
Estela Guerrero De León, Mahabir Prashad Gupta and
Juan Antonio Morán-Pinzón
Chapter 2 Natural Polyketides to Prevent Cardiovascular Disease: Statins .......47
George Hanna and Mark T. Hamann
Chapter 3 Impact of Dietary Polyphenols on Arterial Stiffness: Outline
of Contributing Mechanisms ..............................................................63
Tess De Bruyne, Lynn Roth, Harry Robberecht, Luc Pieters,
Guido De Meyer and Nina Hermans
Chapter 4 Potential Therapeutic Uses of the Genus Cecropia as an
Antihypertensive Herbal Medicinal Product ...................................107
Mahabir Prashad Gupta, Orlando O. Ortíz, Andrés Rivera-
Mondragón and Catherina Caballero-George
Chapter 5 Berries and Lipids in Cardiovascular Health ...................................123
Arpita Basu, Nancy Betts, Paramita Basu and Timothy J. Lyons
Chapter 6 Cardiovascular Protection Effects of Proanthocyanidins ................139
Graham C. Llivina, Megan M. Waguespack and Angela I. Calderón
Chapter 7 Extra-Virgin Olive Oil and Blood Pressure: A New
Approach to the Treatment of Cardiovascular Disease ....................161
Ana Belén Segarra, Magdalena Martínez-Cañamero,
Germán Domínguez-Vías, Marina Hidalgo,
Manuel Ramírez-Sánchez and Isabel Prieto
vii
viii Contents
Chapter 8 Role of Herbs and Spices in Cardiovascular Health ........................175
Haroon Khan, Ada Popolo, Marya and Luca Rastrelli
Chapter 9 Serum Albumin Binding of Natural Substances and Its
Influence on the Biological Activity of Endogenous and
Synthetic Ligands for G-Protein-Coupled Receptors ......................201
Sarah Engelbeen and Patrick M.L. Vanderheyden
Index ......................................................................................................................217
Foreword
Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), including coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular
disease and peripheral arterial disease, are one of the leading causes of premature
death in most Western countries. Although the classical risk factors such as smok-
ing and obesity are more and more becoming managed, a continuous increase of a
cluster of disorders, including dyslipidemia, hypertension, abdominal obesity and
hyperglycemia, since the beginning of this century, referred to as the metabolic syn-
drome, has become more a primary risk factor for CVDs and diabetes.
Many bioactive compounds in foods and herbal medicinal products provide
potential health benefits in cardiovascular diseases. Compiling data from experi-
mental, epidemiological and clinical studies shows that these natural products have
important cardioprotective effects in the primary as well as secondary prevention of
cardiovascular diseases based on the following two conditions: that the amount con-
sumed is high enough and the bioavailability is guaranteed. These bioactive products
vary widely in chemical structure and function and are classified accordingly. In
this book, several of these classes of bioactive natural compounds are discussed in
nine chapters.
In Chapter 1, the beneficial effects of omega-3-fatty acids and extra virgin olive
oil are discussed. Omega-3-fatty oils largely contain polyunsaturated fatty acids
(PUFAs). The types of PUFAs involved in human physiology are alpha-linolenic
acid (ALA), found in plant oils, and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexae-
noic acid (DHA), both commonly found in fish oils. It is suggested that supplementa-
tion with PUFAs modestly lowers blood pressure, stimulates blood circulation and
increases the breakdown of fibrin involved in blood clotting.
Olive oil is the primary source of fat in the Mediterranean diet and is associated
with a low mortality for CVDs. Besides the classical benefits on the lipid profile pro-
vided by olive oil consumption compared to that of saturated fat, a broad spectrum
of benefits on cardiovascular risk factors is now emerging that is associated with
extra virgin olive oil. In Chapter 7, the effects on blood pressure are the main focus.
A systematic review of the efficiency of natural polyketides (statins) for the pre-
vention of coronary events are presented in Chapter 2.
Polyphenols are abundant micronutrients in our diet, and evidence for their role in
the prevention of degenerative diseases such as CVDs and cancer is emerging daily.
Polyphenolics such as flavonols, anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins are present
in many fruits, cereals, legumes, vegetables, tea and red wine. There is some evi-
dence to suggest that these bioactive compounds are effective in reducing CVD risk
factors with respect to anti-hypertensive effects, inhibition of platelet aggregation
and increasing endothelial-dependent vasodilatation. It is believed that the potential
health benefits arise mainly from their antioxidant activity, namely, free radical scav-
enging activity, chelation of transition metals and inhibition of enzymes.
Chapters 3, 5, 6 and 8 deal with the protective effects of polyphenolics on cardio-
vascular health.
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