Mediterranean diet and cardioprotection: Wild artichoke inhibits metalloproteinase 9

✍ Scribed by Stefano Bellosta; Paola Bogani; Monica Canavesi; Claudio Galli; Francesco Visioli

• Book ID: 102948149
• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2008
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 550 KB
• Volume: 52
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1613-4125
• DOI: 10.1002/mnfr.200700502

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Metalloproteinases (MMPs) are zinc‐dependent endopeptidases responsible for the hydrolysis of various component of extracellular matrix such as gelatin and collagen. MMPs, namely MMP‐2 and MMP‐9 correlate with cardiovascular events in patients. We sought to determine whether supplementation with polyphenol‐rich Cynara cardunculus (wild artichoke, traditional component of the Mediterranean diet) modulates MMP‐9 expression and activity in cell cultures. A fully characterized C. cardunculus extract was able to inhibit, in a dose‐dependent manner, the gelatinolytic activity of secreted MMP‐9 and both secretion and human MMP‐9 promoter‐driven transcription. Analysis by HPLC of the Cynara extract identified polyphenols such as luteolin, apigenin, and caffeic acid, among others. However, testing a mix of the individual components suggested that the inhibitory effects of C. cardunculus are due to minor constituent fraction(s) as a whole. In promoting the health benefits of the Mediterranean diet, the role of wild plants as important meal components deserves further reappraisal.