Relationship between vasodilation capacity and phenolic content of Spanish wines

We aimed to determine: 1) the concentration of polyphenols in Spanish red wines, 2) the vasodilatory properties of those wines in relation with their polyphenol concentrations and 3) the vasodilation induced by some of these polyphenols in rat aortic rings. In the wines studied the concentration of rutin and kaempferol was high compared with other polyphenols. All wines relaxed precontracted rat aortic rings and this effect was directly related with the concentration of myricetin and kaempferol in the wines. Kaempferol and rutin also induced endothelium-dependent and independent relaxation, kaempferol was more potent. This relaxation was not inhibited by the estrogen receptor α antagonist ICI 182,760. Kaempferol also potentiated the endothelium-dependent relaxation induced by acetylcholine, which was reversed by Nw-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (l-NAME). These findings show a good correlation between the concentration of polyphenols (especially kaempferol) of Spanish red wines and the vasodilatory effect, which may confer on them unique features in the prevention of cardiovascular disease.