Dietary nitrite supplementation attenuates cardiac remodeling in l-NAME-induced hypertensive rats

Loss of nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability underlies the development of hypertensive heart disease. We investigated the effects of dietary nitrite on N^G-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (l-NAME)-induced hypertension. Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into five groups: an untreated control group, an l-NAME-treated group, and three other l-NAME-treated groups supplemented with 10 mg/L or 100 mg/L of nitrite or 100 mg/L of captopril in drinking water. After the 8-week experimental period, mean arterial blood pressure was measured, followed by sampling of blood and heart tissue for assessment of nitrite/nitrate levels in the plasma and heart, the plasma level of angiotensin II (AT II), and the heart transcriptional levels of AT II type 1 receptor (AT₁R), transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), and connective tissue proteins such as type 1 collagen and fibronectin. Heart tissue was analyzed by histopathological morphometry, including assessments of ventricular and coronary vascular hypertrophy and fibrosis, as well as immunohistochemistry analyses of myocardial expression of AT₁R. l-NAME treatment reduced the plasma nitrate level and led to the development of hypertension, with increased plasma levels of AT II and increased heart transcriptional levels of AT₁R and TGF-β1-mediated connective tissue proteins, showing myocardial and coronary arteriolar hypertrophy and fibrosis. However, dietary nitrite supplementation inhibited TGF-β1-mediated cardiac remodeling by suppressing AT II and AT₁R. These results suggest that dietary nitrite levels achievable via a daily high-vegetable diet could improve hypertensive heart disease by inhibiting AT II-AT₁R-mediated cardiac remodeling.