There are several clinical studies published on the cardiovascular benefits of hesperidin. In addition, there is a meta-analysis published by Mohamaddi et.al., 2019 has reported that hesperidin supplementation does not affect blood pressure and lipid profile (Mohamaddi et.al., 2019). However, Mohammadi et.al. have considered the studies published on both orange juice and hesperidin, and secondly, the comparisons were not solely between hesperidin vs placebo/control. Furthermore, there are two additional randomized control trials published on hesperidin related to its cardiovascular effects after the publication of the above-cited meta-analysis. The present systematic review and meta-analysis were performed to determine the beneficial effect of hesperidin in alleviating the altered blood pressure and lipid profile among patients with cardiovascular diseases. Considering the clinical studies published up to 2021, having a comparison between hesperidin vs placebo/control.
Worldwide, there are about 1.28 billion people who have hypertension whose age is between 30–79 years. Hypertension is one of the major causes of premature death and cardiovascular disease globally. Hypertension can cause damage to the arteries cells of the inner lining. When fat enters the bloodstream through diet, it can accumulate in these damaged arteries. Eventually, the walls of the arteries become less elastic and limit the flow of blood throughout the body which leads to cerebrovascular diseases like coronary artery diseases (angina, arrhythmia, and heart attack), heart failure, transient ischemic attack, stroke, dementia, and mild cognitive impairment. As per the available literature, treatment for lowering blood pressure significantly reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease and death (WHO; 2023). Reduction of systolic blood pressure by 10 /mm Hg reduces the risk of heart failure by 28%, cardiovascular disease by 20%, stroke by 27%, coronary heart disease by 17%, and all-cause mortality by 13% (Ettehad et.al., 2016). Lifestyle modifications like quitting smoking, and tobacco, being more active, and having a healthier diet may reduce the risk of hypertension. Some patients still need medicines to lower their blood pressure. Medicines that are commonly used to treat hypertension are ACE inhibitors (Ex. enalapril and lisinopril), Calcium channel blockers (Ex. amlodipine and felodipine), Angiotensin-2 receptor blockers (ARBs) (Ex. losartan and telmisartan), and diuretics (Ex. hydrochlorothiazide and chlorthalidone) (WHO 2023). Apart from these allopathic medicines, some herbs and their supplements are also used to treat hypertension. The most commonly used herbs for the treatment of hypertension are garlic (Allium sativum), custard apple (Annona muricate), Tea (Camellia sinensis), Ajwain (Carum copticum), Carrot (Daucus carota), Flaxseed (Linum usitatissimum), Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum), Basil (Ocimum basilicum), Pomegranate (Punica granatum), Radish (Raphanus sativus), flavonoids, polyphenols, and so on (Tabassum et.al., 2011). Hesperidin reduces blood pressure by decreasing oxidative stress through ther enin–angiotensin system cascade suppression (Mas-Capdevila et.al., 2020).
Notably, this meta-analysis revealed that hesperidin administration has significantly reduced the systolic blood pressure, however, there was no statistically significant difference in the diastolic blood pressure compared with control. The lack of statistical significance in the diastolic blood pressure compared to control is considered due to significant heterogenicity among the included studies.
Numerous studies show that the increase in the levels of triglyceride (TG) and total cholesterol (TC) might affect the contraction of blood vessels in the heart, which is significantly associated with the risk of cardiovascular disease. Furthermore, increases in the level of LDL could induce arteriosclerosis due to the buildup of LDL in the intima-media of the arteries, which in turn leads to thrombocytopoiesis. As per available scientific data, HDL is inversely proportional to cardiovascular disease. Higher the HDL level, the lesser the risk of emerging cardiovascular disease. It is also believed that HDL acts by reverse cholesterol transport where HDL interacts with cells in systemic vasculature by a series of reactions and disposes of excess cholesterol as bile salts by transferring it to the liver (Filippatos et.al). Medicines that are used to lower the lipid profile are of two types namely statins (Ex. lovastatin, simvastatin, fluvastatin, atorvastatin, rosuvastatin, etc.) and fibrates (Ex. ciprofibrate, clofibrate, fenofibrate, etc.). Based on the available literature some of the herbs and herbal supplements can also be used for lowering lipid profile. Some of the herbs containing hypolipidemic agents are basil, ginger, dill oil, tea, grapes, and so on.
This systematic review and meta-analysis revealed that the administration of hesperidin has alleviated the triglycerides levels compared to placebo/control in the subjects with cardiovascular diseases compared. However, hesperidin administration has not elicited a beneficial effect on LDL, HDL, and total cholesterol compared to the placebo/control.
In summary, this systematic review and meta-analysis revealed that the administration of hesperidin has alleviated systolic blood pressure and triglycerides in subjects with cardiovascular diseases. However, there is no better beneficial effect of the administration of hesperidin on diastolic blood pressure, LDL, HDL, and total cholesterol compared with the placebo/control. However, the heterogenicity between the studies is considered one of the concerns for all the parameters evaluated except triglycerides. The outcome of this meta-analysis is slightly in contrast to the findings of Mohammadi et.al, related to systolic blood pressure and triglycerides. The possible reasons may be firstly Mohammadi et.al., have considered the studies published on both orange juice and hesperidin; secondly, in Mohammadi et.al., the comparisons were not solely between hesperidin vs placebo/control, and lastly, in this meta-analysis there are two additional randomized controlled trials published on hesperidin have been included.
Limitations
Though there are several clinical studies published on hesperidin related to its cardiovascular benefits. In this meta-analysis, we found hesperidin is beneficial in alleviating only elevated systolic blood pressure and serum triglycerides. However, the trend shows that hesperidin has also got the potential to alleviate diastolic blood pressure and other lipid parameters, while these changes are not reflected in the summary because of the significant heterogenicity between the available studies. The possible reasons may be differences in the population included (both diseases and healthy individuals), and the available studies are conducted at different locations by different study groups with different study characteristics. There is further scope for conducting multicentric, double-blind placebo-controlled trials involving patients/subjects with underlying cardiovascular conditions.