Long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid from fish oil modulates aortic nitric oxide and tocopherol status in the rat

• Published in: British journal of nutrition 2008-10, Vol.100 (4), p.767-775
• Main Authors: López, Diego, Möller, Matías, Denicola, Ana, Casós, Kelly, Rubbo, Homero, Ruiz-Sanz, José Ignacio, Mitjavila, Maria Teresa
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: alpha-Tocopherol - analysis; alpha-Tocopherol - metabolism; animal models; Animals; anti-atherogenic properties; Antioxidants; Aorta; Aorta - metabolism; atherogenesis; Atherosclerosis - metabolism; Biological and medical sciences; Diet; Diffusion; experimental diets; fatty acid composition; Fatty acids; Fatty Acids, Omega-3 - analysis; Fatty Acids, Omega-3 - pharmacology; Feeding. Feeding behavior; Fish oils; Fish Oils - administration & dosage; Fish Oils - chemistry; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Lipid Peroxidation; Lipids; Lipoproteins, LDL - metabolism; Lipoproteins, VLDL - metabolism; long chain fatty acids; Male; Nitric oxide; Nitric Oxide - metabolism; Nutrition; nutritional status; omega-3 fatty acids; Oxidation; Oxidative Stress; Paraoxonase-1; Peroxidation; Polyunsaturated fatty acids; protective effect; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances - analysis; Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances - metabolism; tocopherols; Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems; Vitamins - analysis; Vitamins - metabolism; α-Tocopherol
• ISSN: 0007-1145; 1475-2662
• DOI: 10.1017/S0007114508939854

In spite of their high oxidisability, long-chain n-3 PUFA protect against CVD. Dietary fatty acids modulate the fatty acid composition of lipoproteins involved in atherosclerosis. We thought that if long-chain n-3 PUFA were able to increase NO production by the aorta, then by its antioxidant activity the NO will prevent lipid peroxidation. However, the beneficial effect of NO in vivo on VLDL+LDL oxidation would only be possible if NO could diffuse to their lipidic core. Rats were fed maize oil- or fish oil as menhaden oil- (MO) rich diets for 8 weeks, to study the effects of MO on aortic NO production, NO diffusion into VLDL+LDL, the extent of oxidation in native VLDL+LDL and their oxidisability ex vivo. Aortic NO production and its α-tocopherol content were increased and n-3 PUFA were incorporated into the VLDL+LDL. In spite of the higher peroxidisability and the low α-tocopherol in native VLDL+LDL from rats fed MO, native VLDL+LDL from the two groups shared similar electrophoretic patterns, conjugated dienes, thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances, total antioxidant capacity, and NO diffusibility on VLDL+LDL, indicative of an in vivo protection against oxidation. However, these results do not correlate with the ex vivo oxidisability of VLDL+LDL, as NO is lacking. Thus, the in vivo beneficial effects can be explained by increased α-tocopherol in aorta and by a compensatory effect of NO on VLDL+LDL against the low α-tocopherol levels, which may contribute to the anti-atherogenic properties of fish oil.