Perinatal Garlic Oil Supplementation Averts Rat Offspring Hypertension Programmed by Maternal Chronic Kidney Disease

Garlic (Allium sativum) is a functional food, having hydrogen sulfide (H(2)S)-releasing capacity, which exhibits considerable effects on hypertension and gut microbiota. H(2)S is strongly associated with hypertension and chronic kidney disease (CKD). Maternal CKD leads to hypertension in adult rat progeny, which was linked to disruption of the gut microbiota. This study validated the benefits of perinatal garlic oil supplementation against offspring hypertension induced by maternal CKD via modulation of H(2)S signaling, nitric oxide (NO), and the gut microbiota. Before pregnancy, female rats received a 0.5% adenine diet for 3 weeks to develop an animal model to mimic human CKD. Garlic oil (100 mg/kg/day) or vehicle was administered to pregnant rats by oral gavage during gestation and lactation. Perinatal garlic oil supplementation protected against maternal CKD-induced hypertension in offspring at 12 weeks of age. The beneficial effects of garlic oil are associated with enhanced H(2)S signaling, increased NO bioavailability, and shifts in gut microbiota. Perinatal garlic oil supplementation reduces abundance of genera Variovorax, Nocardia, Sphingomonas, and Rhodococcus. Our findings provide insight into the role of early H(2)S-targeted intervention as a preventive strategy in hypertension for further translational research.