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Analysis of institutional authors

Rodrigues-Diez RAuthorBalfagon GAuthorBlanco-Rivero JCorresponding Author

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January 23, 2020
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Beneficial effect of a multistrain synbiotic prodefen® plus on the systemic and vascular alterations associated with metabolic syndrome in rats: The role of the neuronal nitric oxide synthase and protein kinase A

Publicated to:Nutrients. 12 (1): E117- - 2020-01-01 12(1), DOI: 10.3390/nu12010117

Authors: Llévenes P; Rodrigues-Díez R; Cros-Brunsó L; Prieto M; Casaní L; Balfagón G; Blanco-Rivero J

Affiliations

Ctr Biomed Res Network CIBER Cardiovasc Dis, Calle Melchor Fernandez Almagro 3, Madrid 28029, Spain - Author
Hosp Univ la Paz, Dept Gen & Digest Surg, Paseo Castellana 261, Madrid 28046, Spain - Author
Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau - Author
Hospital Universitario La Paz - Author
Networking Biomedical Research Center (CIBER) - Author
Res Inst Santa Creu, Carrer St Quinti 77-79, Barcelona 08041, Spain - Author
St Pau Hosp, Carrer St Quinti 77-79, Barcelona 08041, Spain - Author
Univ Autonoma Madrid, Sch Med, Dept Pharmacol & Therapeut, Calle Arzobispo Morcillo 4, Madrid 28029, Spain - Author
Univ Autonoma Madrid, Sch Med, Dept Physiol, Calle Arzobispo Morcillo 4, Madrid 28029, Spain - Author
Univ Hosp la Paz IdIPaz, Res Inst, Calle Pedro Rico 6, Madrid 28029, Spain - Author
Universidad Autónoma de Madrid - Author
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Abstract

© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. A high fat diet (HFD) intake is crucial for the development and progression of metabolic syndrome (MtS). Increasing evidence links gut dysbiosis with the metabolic and vascular alterations associated with MtS. Here we studied the use of a combination of various probiotic strains together with a prebiotic (synbiotic) in a commercially available Prodefen® Plus. MtS was induced by HFD (45%) in male Wistar rats. Half of the MtS animals received Prodefen® Plus for 4 weeks. At 12 weeks, we observed an increase in body weight, together with the presence of insulin resistance, liver steatosis, hypertriglyceridemia and hypertension in MtS rats. Prodefen® Plus supplementation did not affect the body weight gain but ameliorated all the MtS-related symptoms. Moreover, the hypertension induced by HFD is caused by a diminished both nitric oxide (NO) functional role and release probably due to a diminished neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) activation by protein kinase A (PKA) pathway. Prodefen® Plus supplementation for 4 weeks recovered the NO function and release and the systolic blood pressure was returned to normotensive values as a result. Overall, supplementation with Prodefen® Plus could be considered an interesting non-pharmacological approach in MtS.

Keywords

hypertensionmetabolic syndromeneuronal nitric oxide synthasenitric oxideperivascular nitrergic innervationprotein kinase asuperior mesenteric arteryAltersDiet-induced obesityExpressionGut microbiotaHypertensionImprovementInnervationInsulin sensitivityMesenteric-arteryMetabolic syndromeNeuronal nitric oxide synthaseNitric oxideOxidative stressPerivascular nitrergic innervationProbioticsProtein kinase aSuperior mesenteric arterySynbiotic

Quality index

Bibliometric impact. Analysis of the contribution and dissemination channel

The work has been published in the journal Nutrients due to its progression and the good impact it has achieved in recent years, according to the agency WoS (JCR), it has become a reference in its field. In the year of publication of the work, 2020, it was in position 17/89, thus managing to position itself as a Q1 (Primer Cuartil), in the category Nutrition & Dietetics.

From a relative perspective, and based on the normalized impact indicator calculated from the Field Citation Ratio (FCR) of the Dimensions source, it yields a value of: 2.67, which indicates that, compared to works in the same discipline and in the same year of publication, it ranks as a work cited above average. (source consulted: Dimensions Jul 2025)

Specifically, and according to different indexing agencies, this work has accumulated citations as of 2025-07-19, the following number of citations:

  • WoS: 9
  • Scopus: 12
  • Europe PMC: 6

Impact and social visibility

From the perspective of influence or social adoption, and based on metrics associated with mentions and interactions provided by agencies specializing in calculating the so-called "Alternative or Social Metrics," we can highlight as of 2025-07-19:

  • The use, from an academic perspective evidenced by the Altmetric agency indicator referring to aggregations made by the personal bibliographic manager Mendeley, gives us a total of: 56.
  • The use of this contribution in bookmarks, code forks, additions to favorite lists for recurrent reading, as well as general views, indicates that someone is using the publication as a basis for their current work. This may be a notable indicator of future more formal and academic citations. This claim is supported by the result of the "Capture" indicator, which yields a total of: 58 (PlumX).

With a more dissemination-oriented intent and targeting more general audiences, we can observe other more global scores such as:

  • The Total Score from Altmetric: 2.7.
  • The number of mentions on the social network X (formerly Twitter): 4 (Altmetric).

It is essential to present evidence supporting full alignment with institutional principles and guidelines on Open Science and the Conservation and Dissemination of Intellectual Heritage. A clear example of this is:

  • The work has been submitted to a journal whose editorial policy allows open Open Access publication.
  • Assignment of a Handle/URN as an identifier within the deposit in the Institutional Repository: https://repositorio.uam.es/handle/10486/692568

Leadership analysis of institutional authors

There is a significant leadership presence as some of the institution’s authors appear as the first or last signer, detailed as follows: First Author (Llévenes P) and Last Author (BLANCO RIVERO, JAVIER).

the author responsible for correspondence tasks has been BLANCO RIVERO, JAVIER.