Hawthorn is a widely
used herbal alternative medicine for the treatment of various
cardiovascular diseases. However, the attributed health benefits,
purported to be due to the presence of phenolic compounds, may depend on
both the specific species and plant part. Studies to date investigating
effects of hawthorn on heart disease(s) have used well-described
European and/or Asian species, while little is known regarding the
bioactivity of species native to North America. Six weeks of
supplementation of both fireberry hawthorn berry (native Crataegus
chrysocarpa) and English hawthorn leaf (C. monogyna, naturalized in
North America) in the JCR:LA-cp rat, resulted in a significant reduction
in heart weight, fasting LDL-C and improved heart function (p<0.05).
Fasting triglyceride and myocardial fibrosis were also reduced, but
only by the berry extract. We demonstrate that both of the
Canadian-sourced hawthorn extracts (introduced leaf and native berry)
have cardioprotective benefits, likely via increased availability of
nitric oxide.
