Hypertension is considered one of the most serious long-term medical conditions. Angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE), as one of the most important targets for hypertension drugs. It converts angiotensin I to vasopressor angiotensin II through a catalytic hydrolysis process. ACE has been found in higher amounts in the brain cells of Alzheimer disease patients. Brain-penetrating ACE inhibitors (ACEI) decreased the impact of Alzheimer disease in elderly hypertensive patients. It is expected that the inclusion of ACEI-rich foods has a potential to eliminate these health issues. Therefore, this study explored the occurrence of ACEI in food extracts combining an ACE inhibition assay with LC/ESIMS quantification analysis, showing that naturally occurring nicotianamine (NA), ubiquitously present in higher plants, is an important constituent in ACEI active foods. Furthermore, oral administration of NA and NA-rich food extracts improved spatial learning and memory functions in rats, in addition to hypertensive relief. Thus, NA is suggested to be a brain-penetrating ACEI, while the inclusion of NA-rich foods will contribute to the “quality of life” of patients with Alzheimer disease by relieving hypertension and dementia.

高血压被认为是最严重的长期医学病症之一。血管紧张素I转换酶（ACE），作为高血压药物最重要的靶标之一。它通过催化水解过程将血管紧张素I转化为血管加压素血管紧张素II。ACE在阿尔茨海默氏病患者的脑细胞中含量更高。穿透脑的ACE抑制剂（ACEI）降低了老年高血压患者阿尔茨海默氏病的影响。预计将富含ACEI的食物包括在内可能消除这些健康问题。因此，这项研究探索了将ACE抑制试验与LC / ESIMS定量分析相结合的食品提取物中ACEI的存在情况，表明天然存在的烟碱胺（NA）普遍存在于高等植物中，是ACEI活性食品的重要成分。此外，除高血压缓解外，口服NA和富含NA的食物提取物还改善了大鼠的空间学习和记忆功能。因此，NA被认为是可穿透大脑的ACEI，而富含NA的食物将通过缓解高血压和痴呆症而有助于阿尔茨海默氏病患者的“生活质量”。