Dietary virgin olive oil reduces blood brain barrier permeability, brain edema, and brain injury in rats subjected to ischemia-reperfusion

• Published in: TheScientificWorld 2010-01, Vol.10, p.1180-1191
• Main Authors: Mohagheghi, Fatemeh, Bigdeli, Mohammad Reza, Rasoulian, Bahram, Zeinanloo, Ali Asghar, Khoshbaten, Ali
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Blood; Blood-brain barrier; Blood-Brain Barrier - drug effects; Brain; Brain Edema - prevention & control; Brain injury; Brain slice preparation; Cerebral blood flow; Cerebral edema; Cerebral ischemia; Development and progression; Edema; Health aspects; Injuries; Ischemia; Lipids; Lipoproteins (high density); Lipoproteins (low density); Male; Olea; Olive Oil; Oral administration; Permeability; Physiological aspects; Plant Oils - pharmacology; Prevention; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Reperfusion; Reperfusion injury; Reperfusion Injury - prevention & control; Water content
• ISSN: 1537-744X; 2356-6140; 1537-744X
• DOI: 10.1100/tsw.2010.128

Recent studies suggest that dietary virgin olive oil (VOO) reduces hypoxia-reoxygenation injury in rat brain slices. We sought to extend these observations in an in vivo study of rat cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury. Four groups, each consisting of 18 Wistar rats, were studied. One group (control) received saline, while three treatment groups received oral VOO (0.25, 0.5, and 0.75 mL/kg/day, respectively). After 30 days, blood lipid profiles were determined, before a 60-min period of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). After 24-h reperfusion, neurological deficit scores, infarct volume, brain edema, and blood brain barrier permeability were each assessed in subgroups of six animals drawn from each main group. VOO reduced the LDL/HDL ratio in doses of 0.25, 0.5, and 0.75 mL/kg/day in comparison to the control group (p < 0.05), and offered cerebroprotection from ischemia-reperfusion. For controls vs. doses of 0.25 vs. 0.5 vs. 0.75 mL/kg/day, attenuated corrected infarct volumes were 207.82 +/- 34.29 vs. 206.41 +/- 26.23 vs. 124.21 +/- 14.73 vs. 108.46 +/- 31.63 mm3; brain water content of the infarcted hemisphere was 82 +/- 0.25 vs. 81.5 +/- 0.56 vs. 80.5 +/- 0.22 vs. 80.5 +/- 0.34%; and blood brain barrier permeability of the infarcted hemisphere was 11.31 +/- 2.67 vs. 9.21 +/- 2.28 vs. 5.83 +/- 1.6 vs. 4.43 +/- 0.93 micro-g/g tissue (p < 0.05 for measures in doses 0.5 and 0.75 mL/kg/day vs. controls). Oral administration of VOO reduces infarct volume, brain edema, blood brain barrier permeability, and improves neurologic deficit scores after transient MCAO in rats.