Background and aims: Soybeans and their ingredients have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects on cardiovascular diseases. β-Conglycinin (β-CG), a major constituent of soy proteins, is protective against obesity, hypertension, and chronic kidney disease, but its effects on heart failure remain to be elucidated. We tested the effects of β-CG on left ventricular (LV) remodeling in pressure overload-induced heart failure.
Methods: A transverse aortic constriction (TAC)-induced pressure overload was applied to the heart in 7-week-old C57BL6 male mice that were treated with β-CG, GlcNAc, or sodium propionate. Gut microbiota was analyzed by 16S rRNA sequencing. Fecal short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) were quantified by GC-MS. The effects of oral antibiotics were examined in β-CG-fed mice.
Results: β-CG ameliorated impaired cardiac contractions, cardiac hypertrophy, and myocardial fibrosis in TAC-operated mice. As β-CG is a highly glycosylated protein, we examined the effects of GlcNAc. GlcNAc had similar but less efficient effects on LV remodeling compared to β-CG. β-CG increased three major SCFA-producing intestinal bacteria, as well as fecal concentrations of SCFAs, in sham- and TAC-operated mice. Oral administration of antibiotics nullified the effects of β-CG in TAC-operated mice by markedly reducing SCFA-producing intestinal bacteria and fecal SCFAs. In contrast, oral administration of sodium propionate, one of SCFAs, ameliorated LV remodeling in TAC-operated mice to a similar extent as β-CG.
Conclusions: β-CG was protective against TAC-induced LV remodeling, which was likely to be mediated by increased SCFA-producing gut microbiota and increased intestinal SCFAs. Modified β-CG and/or derivatives arising from β-CG are expected to be developed as prophylactic and/or therapeutic agents to ameliorate devastating symptoms in heart failure.
Keywords: Gut microbiota; Heart failure; Short-chain fatty acids; Soy protein; β-Conglycinin.
Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.