TY - JOUR
T1 - Flavonol-rich dark cocoa significantly decreases plasma endothelin-1 and improves cognition in urban children
AU - Calderón-Garcidueñas, Lilian
AU - Mora-Tiscareño, Antonieta
AU - Franco-Lira, Maricela
AU - Cross, Janet V.
AU - Engle, Randall
AU - Aragón-Flores, Mariana
AU - Gómez-Garza, Gilberto
AU - Jewells, Valerie
AU - Medina-Cortina, Humberto
AU - Solorio, Edelmira
AU - Chao, Chih kai
AU - Zhu, Hongtu
AU - Mukherjee, Partha S.
AU - Ferreira-Azevedo, Lara
AU - Torres-Jardón, Ricardo
AU - D'Angiulli, Amedeo
PY - 2013
Y1 - 2013
N2 - Air pollution exposures are linked to systemic inflammation, cardiovascular and respiratory morbidity and mortality, neuroinflammation and neuropathology in young urbanites. In particular, most Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA) children exhibit subtle cognitive deficits, and neuropathology studies show 40% of them exhibiting frontal tau hyperphosphorylation and 51% amyloid-β diffuse plaques (compared to 0% in low pollution control children). We assessed whether a short cocoa intervention can be effective in decreasing plasma endothelin 1 (ET-1) and/or inflammatory mediators in MCMA children. Thirty gram of dark cocoa with 680 mg of total flavonols were given daily for 10.11 ± 3.4 days (range 9-24 days) to 18 children (10.55 years, SD = 1.45; 11F/7M). Key metabolite ratios in frontal white matter and in hippocampus pre and during cocoa intervention were quantified by magnetic resonance spectroscopy. ET-1 significantly decreased after cocoa treatment (p = 0.0002). Fifteen children (83%) showed a marginally significant individual improvement in one or both of the applied simple short memory tasks. Endothelial dysfunction is a key feature of exposure to particulate matter (PM) and decreased endothelin-1 bioavailability is likely useful for brain function in the context of air pollution. Our findings suggest that cocoa interventions may be critical for early implementation of neuroprotection of highly exposed urban children. Multi-domain nutraceutical interventions could limit the risk for endothelial dysfunction, cerebral hypoperfusion, neuroinflammation, cognitive deficits, structural volumetric detrimental brain effects, and the early development of the neuropathological hallmarks of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.
AB - Air pollution exposures are linked to systemic inflammation, cardiovascular and respiratory morbidity and mortality, neuroinflammation and neuropathology in young urbanites. In particular, most Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA) children exhibit subtle cognitive deficits, and neuropathology studies show 40% of them exhibiting frontal tau hyperphosphorylation and 51% amyloid-β diffuse plaques (compared to 0% in low pollution control children). We assessed whether a short cocoa intervention can be effective in decreasing plasma endothelin 1 (ET-1) and/or inflammatory mediators in MCMA children. Thirty gram of dark cocoa with 680 mg of total flavonols were given daily for 10.11 ± 3.4 days (range 9-24 days) to 18 children (10.55 years, SD = 1.45; 11F/7M). Key metabolite ratios in frontal white matter and in hippocampus pre and during cocoa intervention were quantified by magnetic resonance spectroscopy. ET-1 significantly decreased after cocoa treatment (p = 0.0002). Fifteen children (83%) showed a marginally significant individual improvement in one or both of the applied simple short memory tasks. Endothelial dysfunction is a key feature of exposure to particulate matter (PM) and decreased endothelin-1 bioavailability is likely useful for brain function in the context of air pollution. Our findings suggest that cocoa interventions may be critical for early implementation of neuroprotection of highly exposed urban children. Multi-domain nutraceutical interventions could limit the risk for endothelial dysfunction, cerebral hypoperfusion, neuroinflammation, cognitive deficits, structural volumetric detrimental brain effects, and the early development of the neuropathological hallmarks of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.
KW - Air pollution
KW - Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease risk
KW - Children
KW - Cocoa
KW - Cognition
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84883531025&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3389/fphar.2013.00104
DO - 10.3389/fphar.2013.00104
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84883531025
SN - 1663-9812
VL - 4 AUG
JO - Frontiers in Pharmacology
JF - Frontiers in Pharmacology
M1 - Article 104
ER -