title: The effect of red wine on experimental atherosclerosis: lipid-independent protection.
abstract: To assess the effect of red wine on atherosclerosis, New Zealand rabbits were given 1% cholesterol diet for 12 weeks and compared to animals that received the diet plus either red wine or nonalcoholic wine products (NAWP). Diet induced marked increases in total and LDL cholesterol; yet no significant changes in HDL and triglyceride concentrations occurred. In the control group, plaque area was 69 +/- 9% of the aortic surface, while in the wine and NAWP groups it was only 38 +/- 9 and 47 +/- 12%, respectively (P < 0.0001). The average intima/media thickness ratio was 0.60 +/- 0.2 in control animals, 0.14 +/- 0.09 in the wine group, and 0.39 +/- 0.19 in the NAWP group (P < 0.0001). No significant differences were noted in LDL oxidizability among treatments. Thus, both red wine and NAWP can prevent plaque formation in hypercholesterolemic rabbits despite significant increases in LDL. We speculate that anti-platelet effect, blockade of expression of endothelial cell adhesion molecules, and/or NO stimulation by red wine flavonoids are possible explanations.
authors.affiliation: Instituto do Caração-Divisão de Clínica e Divisão de Experimentação, Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: P L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: da Luz
authors.forename: C V
authors.initials: CV
authors.lastname: Serrano Júnior
authors.forename: A P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Chacra
authors.forename: H P
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Monteiro
authors.forename: V M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Yoshida
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Furtado
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gutierrez
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pileggi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001011:Aorta / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D050356:Lipid Metabolism; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008077:Lipoproteins, LDL / Q000097:blood; D011817:Rabbits; D014920:Wine
chemical_list: D008055:Lipids; D008077:Lipoproteins, LDL; C099252:oxidized low density lipoprotein