Foods Food Ingredients J. Jpn., Vol. 209, No.

8, 2004

Antihypertensive Activity of Purple Corn Color in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats

Tohru Toyoshia) and Takatori Kohdab) a) Hashima Laboratory, Nihon Bioresearch Inc. 104, 6-Chome, majima, Fukuju-cho, Hashima, Gifu 501-6251, Japan b) Food Color Division, San-Ei Gen F.F.I., Inc. 1-1-11, Sanwa-cho, Toyonaka, Osaka 561-8588, Japan Summary Purple corn color (PCC) at a dose of 28.35 mg/kg (7.4 mg/kg as anthocyanin) was administrated orally by gavage to spontaneously hypertensive rats twice a day for 5 weeks, and the inhibitory effect of PCC on increase in blood pressure was assessed. In the control group, the mean value of systolic blood pressure was 121 mmHg before the start of administration, but it increased with age and was 206 mmHg on Day 36 of administration. In the PCC group, systolic blood pressure was significantly lower than in the control group on Day 8 of administration and thereafter; PCC significantly inhibited the increase in systolic blood pressure. Diltiazem, the positive control article, similarly inhibited the increase in systolic blood pressure. The inhibitory effect of diltiazem was slightly greater than that of PCC; the mean value of systolic blood pressure in the diltiazem group was significantly lower than in the PCC group on Day 22 of administration. Changes in mean blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure were similar to those in systolic blood pressure in the PCC and diltiazem groups. Regarding the heart rate, compared with the control group, no significant changes were noted in the PCC or diltiazem group; neither PCC nor diltiazem had any effect on heart rate. As described above, PCC clearly had an inhibitory effect on increase in blood pressure when spontaneously hypertensive rats were treated with PCC at 56.7 mg/kg/day for 5 weeks.