Effect of Euglena Cells on Blood Pressure, Cerebral and PeripheralVascular Changes and Life-Span in Stroke-ProneSpontaneously Hypertensive Rats

Abstract

Stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP) were fed a diet based on Euglena drycells (Euglena gracilis z) as a protein source from 5 weeks of age, and observed until natural deathor sacrifice at 35 weeks of age in order to examine the effects of the diet on blood pressure, incidenceof cerebral stroke lesions and life-span. The results were as follows: (1) The Euglena diet had nosignificant effect on blood pressure, but obvious prolongation of life-span was observed. The incidenceof cerebral stroke and hypertensive vascular lesions was somewhat lower than in control rats. (2) Inthe Euglena diet group sacrificed at 35 weeks of age, a reduced incidence of cerebral stroke lesions, alower incidence hypertensive vascular lesions in the kidneys, testes and adrenals, suppressed elevationof plasma renin activity (PRA), and a less marked decrease in the elastin content of the aorta wererecognized. Moreover, this group showed fewer changes in electron microscopical findings in themesenteric arteries. (3) The lipid peroxide level (TBARS value) in the serum of the control groupshowed an increase after 15 weeks of age when cerebral vascular lesions began to develop, but thatin the Euglena diet group remained almost unchanged. These results suggest that the effect of a Euglena diet in prolonging the life-span of SHRSP might be due to delayed aging or destruction ofelastic fibers of the aorta.