Effects of sour cherry fruits on platelet aggregation and arterialblood pressure

Background: The pivotal roles that platelet aggregation and hypertension play in the pathogenesis of ischemic disorders have emphasized the importance of antiplatelet and antihypertensive agents in the treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, the leading causes of disability worldwide. Despite the abundance of these drug groups, finding new agents with fewer side effects and complications continues to be an important mission in modern medicine. To combat the adverse effects of manufactured medications, plants could be promising sources for new remedies. One such plant, the Sour Cherry, can serve as a source for new antiplatelet and antihypertensive medications considering its rich content of anthocyanins, flavonoids, and organic acids. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the antiplatelet and antihypertensive effects of Armenian Sour Cherries. Results: It has been revealed that Sour Cherries contain properties that can be incorporated into antiplatelet and antihypertensive remedies. Conducted observation shows that after 3 hours of Sour Cherry intake, the amplitude of aggregation (A6) was reduced by 40.2±17.21% (p<0.05), the maximal slope of aggregation by 41.1±14.6% (p<0.05,) and the area under the curve by 50.3±19.75% (p<0.05) in comparison to the negative control. Measuring the same indicators after 5 hours demonstrated that the effect of the Sour Cherry on the aggregation process was inferior compared to the 3rd hour data, remaining less than the same characteristics of the negative control. After 5 hours the reduction of aggregation amplitude, the maximum slope and area under the curve compared with the control, were 29.84±8.27% (p<0.05), 39.29 ±11.74% (p<0.05) and 36.18±19.13% (p<0.05), respectively. The investigation of Sour Cherries’ effects on animals’ blood pressures demonstrates that intraperitoneal injection of freeze-dried Sour Cherry solution was accompanied by changes in blood pressure indicators and the animals’ heart rates. Systolic blood pressure values after administration of Sour Cherry fruits began reducing from the 10th minute of the experiment and reached maximal reduction at the 40th minute by 15.3%. After the 40th minute, the tendency of recovery for systolic blood pressure values, which remained less than 0hour values even at 90th minute of the experiment, were registered. Maximum reduction (14.2 %) of diastolic blood pressure values takes place at the 20thminute and continues to be less than control values until the 90th minute of the experiment. Calculations of mean arterial pressure values demonstrated similar changes with the same tendency. Heart rate changes followed the fall of arterial pressure, increasing by 27.7 beats per minute at the 50th minute of the experiment. Conclusion: The presented investigation proves Sour Cherry fruits as functional foods with antiplatelet and antihypertensive effects which opens up perspectives in the search for new, safe agents in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases and stroke based on functional food properties. This obtained data could serve as a platform for the development of a new dosage in the form of freeze-dried Sour Cherries with the possibility of a highly preserved content of biologically active substances. Keywords: Sour cherry fruits, antiplatelet activity, antihypertensive action