Molecular targets for anti-oxidative protection of a & ccedil;a & iacute; berry against diabetes myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury

Myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury (MIRI) is the principal cause of death and occurs after prolonged blockage of the coronary arteries. Diabetes represents one of the main factors aggravating myocardial injury. Restoring blood flow is the first intervention against a heart attack, although reperfusion process could cause additional damage, such as the overproduction of reacting oxygen species (ROS). In recent years, acai berry has gained international attention as a functional food due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties; not only that but this fruit has shown glucose-lowering effects. Therefore, this study was designed to evaluate the cardioprotective effects of acai berry on the inflammatory and oxidative responses associated with diabetic MIRI. Diabetes was induced in rats by a single intravenous inoculation of streptozotocin (60 mg/kg) and allowed to develop for 60 days. MIRI was induced by occlusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery for 30 min followed by 2 h of reperfusion. Acai (200 mg/kg) was administered 5 min before the end of ischemia and 1 h after reperfusion. In this study, we clearly demonstrated that acai treatment was able to reduce biomarkers of myocardial damage, infarct size, and apoptotic process. Moreover, acai administrations reduced inflammatory and oxidative response, modulating Nf-kB and Nrf2 pathways. These results suggest that acai berry supplementation could represent a useful strategy for pathological events associated to MIRI.