Polyphenol-rich fruits attenuate impaired endothelial function induced by glucose and free fatty acids in vitro in human endothelial cells

Elevated concentrations of plasma glucose and free fatty acids (FFA) are associated with impaired endothelial function increasing risk of cardiovascular diseases. Previous studies suggested that fruits rich in polyphenolic compounds modulate endothelial cell migration and capillary-like tube formation via a redox-sensitive mechanism. We hypothesized that polyphenol-rich extracts of strawberry (SB) and wild blueberry (WB) would attenuate relatively high concentrations of glucose and/or FFA?mediated impaired cell migration and capillary-like tube formation in vitro in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). HUVECs treated with high FFA and combinations of glucose and FFA showed significantly reduced cell migration and capillary-like tube formation compared to the PBS control (p<0.05). However, HUVEC pre-treated with SB or WB extracts significantly increased cell migration and capillary-like tube formation in cells treated with FFA or a combination of FFA and glucose compared to cells exposed to the same nutrients/combinations alone. The results from this study suggest that berry fruits may play a role in promoting cardiovascular health especially in individuals with high blood glucose and/or FFA levels.