Coconut milk (CCM) has been an important
cooking ingredient in the
Asia-Pacific region since ancient
time. Due to its high content of
saturated fatty acids, it has been considered atherogenic. We have tested if chronic
consumption of fresh
coconut milk by middle-
aged male rat affects vascular function,
plasma glucose and
lipid profiles. Compared to control, CCM caused lower maximal contraction to
phenylephrine of thoracic aortic rings and increased
relaxation to
acetylcholine that was abolished by N G-nitro-
L-arginine (L-NA) or disruption of the
endothelium. DL-propargylglycine caused slight increase in baseline tension of L-NA treated aortic rings of CCM-treated
rats and produced higher contractile response of the aortic rings to low concentrations of
phenylephrine. The aortic eNOS- and
cystathionine-γ-
lyase(CSE)
proteins expression of the CCM-treated
rats were also higher than in controls. Except for lower
fasting plasma glucose there were no changes in
blood chemistry for the CCM treated
rats. CCM
consumption caused
up-regulation of eNOS and CSE
protein expression which resulted in increased
production of NO and H2S from the
blood vessels with attenuation of vasocontraction to
phenylephrine and increased
relaxation to
acetylcholine. These novel benefits may be expected to reduce the development of
cardiovascular risk factors in the
aging rat