The effects of Eicosapentaenoic acid on the endothelium of the carotid artery of rabbits on a high-cholesterol diet

The preventive and therapeutic effects of Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) on diet-induced hyperlipidemia in rabbits have been investigated. Eighteen New Zealand rabbits were randomly divided into three groups of 6 subjects each; experimental group-I (EG-I) was administered a cholesterol rich diet, experimental group-II (EG-II) was treated with EPA (300 mg/kg/d) following a cholesterol-rich diet and the control group (CG) had a standard diet. Blood samples were collected at day 0 and at the 4th and 12th weeks of EG-II to obtain serum levels of total cholesterol (TC), high density lipid-cholesterol (HDL-C), low density lipid-cholesterol (LDL-C) and triglyceride (TG). From each group tissue samples were collected from the carotid artery for immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy. Our results showed that EPA could significantly lower (p<0.001) serum TC, LDL-C, HDLC and TG levels with a reduction of 35%; 55%; 44% and 51%, respectively. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy results revealed that endothelial damage was more prominent in EG-I when compared to EG-II. The ruptured endothelial lining and damaged cellular surface was increased in EG-I when compared to EG-II. Ultrastructural observations showed that after EPA treatment, the degeneration and cellular surface damage on the endothelium were also decreased. These biochemical and ultrastructural results suggest that EPA is a potential drug which significantly lowers the serum lipid profile and partially repairs endothelial dysfunction due to hyperlipidemia.Akdeniz University Research FoundationAkdeniz UniversityThis article was produced by a collaborative project between the departments of Cardiovascular Surgery and Cardiology of Kosuyolu State Hospital, Istanbul; and Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Akdeniz University, Antalya, and Department of Experimental Laboratory, Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty (Tuncay Altug), Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey. This study was partly funded by a grant from Akdeniz University Research Foundation. We would like to thank Gksemin Acar, Gamze Tanriover, Eylem Tuncer for their scientific support and to Sibel Ozer, Arife Demirtop and Hakan Er for their excellent technical assistance

The effects of Eicosapentaenoic acid on the endothelium of the carotid artery of rabbits on a high-cholesterol diet

The preventive and therapeutic effects ofEicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) on diet-inducedhyperlipidemia in rabbits have been investigated.Eighteen New Zealand rabbits were randomly dividedinto three groups of 6 subjects each; experimental group-I (EG-I) was administered a cholesterol rich diet,experimental group-II (EG-II) was treated with EPA(300 mg/kg/d) following a cholesterol-rich diet and thecontrol group (CG) had a standard diet. Blood sampleswere collected at day 0 and at the 4th and 12th weeks ofEG-II to obtain serum levels of total cholesterol (TC),high density lipid-cholesterol (HDL-C), low densitylipid-cholesterol (LDL-C) and triglyceride (TG). Fromeach group tissue samples were collected from thecarotid artery for immunohistochemistry and electronmicroscopy. Our results showed that EPA couldsignificantly lower (p<0.001) serum TC, LDL-C, HDL-C and TG levels with a reduction of 35%; 55%; 44% and51%, respectively. Scanning and transmission electronmicroscopy results revealed that endothelial damage wasmore prominent in EG-I when compared to EG-II. Theruptured endothelial lining and damaged cellular surfacewas increased in EG-I when compared to EG-II.Ultrastructural observations showed that after EPAtreatment, the degeneration and cellular surface damageon the endothelium were also decreased. These biochemical and ultrastructural results suggestthat EPA is a potential drug which significantly lowersthe serum lipid profile and partially repairs endothelialdysfunction due to hyperlipidemi