Glucosyl hesperidin improves serum cholesterol composition and inhibits hypertrophy in vasculature.

Long-term administration of hesperidin (HES) or glucosyl hesperidin (GHES), a water-soluble analogue of HES, brings about an antihypertensive effect on spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). In the present study, we investigated the effects of long-term administration of HES and GHES (corresponding to 30 mg/d/kg body weight) on serum lipid concentration and morphology of vasculature. Serum HDL cholesterol increased in both SHR and Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY) fed a HES- or GHES-containing diet for 25 wk. Simultaneously, GHES administration reduced the vascular diameter and media-intimal cross-sectional area of the abdominal aorta in SHR. These results suggest that HES as well as GHES improves serum cholesterol composition and that GHES inhibits hypertrophy in vasculature as well.