Dietary supplementation with omega-3 PUFA increases adiponectin and attenuates ventricular remodeling and dysfunction with pressure overload.
OBJECTIVE
Epidemiological studies suggest that consumption of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (omega-3 PUFA) decreases the risk of heart failure. We assessed the effects of dietary supplementation with omega-3 PUFA from fish oil on the response of the left ventricle (LV) to arterial pressure overload.


METHODS
Male Wistar rats were fed a standard chow or a omega-3 PUFA-supplemented diet. After 1 week rats underwent abdominal aortic banding or sham surgery (n=9-12/group). LV function was assessed by echocardiography after 8 weeks. In addition, we studied the effect of omega-3 PUFA on the cardioprotective adipocyte-derived hormone adiponectin, which may alter the pro-growth serine-threonine kinase Akt.


RESULTS
Banding increased LV mass to a greater extent with the standard chow (31%) than with omega-3 PUFA (18%). LV end diastolic and systolic volumes were increased by 19% and 105% with standard chow, respectively, but were unchanged with omega-3 PUFA. The expression of adiponectin was up-regulated in adipose tissue, and the plasma adiponectin concentration was significantly elevated. Treatment with omega-3 PUFA increased total Akt protein expression in the heart, but decreased the fraction of Akt in the active phosphorylated form, and thus did not alter the amount of active phospho-Akt.


CONCLUSIONS
Dietary supplementation with omega-3 PUFA attenuated pressure overload-induced LV dysfunction, which was associated with elevated plasma adiponectin.
Duda
Monika K
MK
Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.
O'Shea
Karen M
KM
Lei
Biao
B
Barrows
Brian R
BR
Azimzadeh
Agnes M
AM
McElfresh
Tracy E
TE
Hoit
Brian D
BD
Kop
Willem J
WJ
Stanley
William C
WC
D052242:Adiponectin / Q000235:genetics*; D000818:Animals; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D017379:Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular / Q000517:prevention & control; D008297:Male; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left; D020257:Ventricular Remodeling
D052242:Adiponectin; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt