Anti-remodeling effects of xanthohumol-fortified beer in pulmonary arterial hypertension mediated by ERK and AKT inhibition

Abstract

Polyphenols present in some alcoholic beverages have been linked to beneficial effects in preventing cardiovascular diseases. Polyphenols found in beer with anti-proliferative and anti-cancer properties are appealing in the context of the quasi-malignant phenotype of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Our purpose was to evaluate if the chronic ingestion of a xanthohumol-fortified beer (FB) would be able to modulate the pathophysiology of experimental PAH. Male Wistar rats with monocrotaline (MCT)-induced PAH (60 mg/kg) were allowed to drink either xanthohumol-fortified beer (MCT + FB) or 5.2% ethanol (MCT + SHAM) for a period 4 weeks. At the end of the protocol, cardiopulmonary exercise testing and hemodynamic recordings were performed, followed by sample collection for further analysis. FB intake resulted in a significant attenuation of the pulmonary vascular remodeling in MCT + FB animals. This improvement was paralleled with the downregulation in expression of proteins responsible for proliferation (ERK1/2), cell viability (AKT), and apoptosis (BCL-XL). Moreover, MCT + FB animals presented improved right ventricle (RV) function and remodeling accompanied by VEGFR-2 pathway downregulation. The present study demonstrates that a regular consumption of xanthohumol through FB modulates major remodeling pathways activated in experimental PAH.