RESUMO
Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a vascular disease characterized by weakening of vascular walls and progressive dilation of the abdominal aorta. Nicotine, the main component of tobacco, is reportedly associated with the development and rupture of AAA. It is desirable to attenuate the destructive effect of nicotine on vascular walls, using dietary food components. However, effective methods for preventing AAA progression using dietary food components remain unestablished. This study focuses on proanthocyanidins, well known for their potent antioxidant activity. We speculated that proanthocyanidins can suppress nicotine-induced weakening of vascular walls. To estimate the effect of black soybean seed coat extract (BSSCE), rich in proanthocyanidins, on nicotine-induced weakening of the aortic wall, mice were divided into four groups: the control diet and distilled water group (named C), BSSCE solution diet and distilled water group (named B), control diet and 0.5 mg/mL nicotine solution group (named CN), and BSSCE solution diet and 0.5 mg/mL nicotine solution group (named BN). Nicotine-induced degradation of elastin and collagen fibers were significantly suppressed in BN group. The positive areas for matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and oxidative stress in BN group were significantly decreased compared to those in CN group. These results suggest that proanthocyanidins-rich BSSCE can prevent the weakening of the aortic wall via inhibiting MMP-2 upregulation.