Astaxanthin-rich extract supplementation counteracts cardiac oxidative stress in a rodent model of diet-induced Metabolic Syndrome.

Growing evidence suggests that oxidative stress contributes to the pathophysiology of several disorders, making antioxidant-based interventions an active research area. Astaxanthin (ASTX) is a powerful antioxidant attracting research interest. Notably, the biological effects of ASTX depend on its natural source. We recently shown that an ASTX-rich extract derived from the freshwater crab Dilocarcinus pagei mitigates metabolic disturbances in major tissues involved in energy homeostasis (adipose tissue, liver, and skeletal muscle). Whether similar beneficial effects occur in cardiac tissue remains unknown. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of an ASTX rich-extract derived from D. pagei on cardiac redox disturbances developed in rats fed a high-sucrose diet (HSD), a model of Metabolic Syndrome (MetS). Male Wistar rats were fed for 90 days with a reference diet, a HSD, or a HSD plus a daily oral dose of an ASTX-rich extract (HSD+ASTX) (10 mg/kg body weight). Results showed that ASTX-rich extract prevented the HSD-induced increase in cardiac reactive oxygen species levels, alleviated oxidative stress, improved antioxidant capacity and was associated with changes in the protein expression of Nrf2 and phosphorylated NF-κB p65. Besides, HSD+ASTX-fed animals had lower blood pressure than HSD-fed rats at 30, 60 and 90 days of the experimental period. Serum CK-MB, AST, glucose and lipid levels were lower than those found in HSD-fed animals. The study provides novel insights into the beneficial effects of an ASTX-rich extract derived from D. pagei on cardiac redox imbalance and associated alterations induced by a HSD in male rats.