Chemical characterization and antihypertensive effects of locular gel and serum of Lycopersicum esculentum L. var. “Camone” tomato in spontaneously hypertensive rats

Blood pressure control in hypertensive subjects calls for changes in lifestyle, especially diet. Tomato is rich in healthy components and widely consumed. The aim of this study was to evaluate chemical composition and antihypertensive effects of locular gel reconstituted in serum of green tomatoes of “Camone” variety. Tomato serum and locular gel were chemically characterised. The antihypertensive effects of the locular gel in serum, pure tomatine, and captopril, administered by oral gavage, were investigated for 4 weeks in male spontaneously hypertensive and normotensive rats. Systolic blood pressure and heart rate were monitored using tail cuff method. Body and heart weight, serum glucose, triglycerides and inflammatory cytokines, aorta thickness and liver metabolising activity were also assessed. Locular gel and serum showed good tomatine and polyphenols content. Significant reductions in blood pressure and heart rate, as well as in inflammatory blood cytokines and aorta thickness were observed in spontaneously hypertensive rats treated both with locular gel in serum and captopril. No significant effects were observed in normotensive rats. Green tomatoes locular gel and serum, usually discarded during tomato industrial processing, are rich in bioactive compounds that can lower in vivo blood pressure towards healthier values, as observed in spontaneously hypertensive rats. © 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.