title: Long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid from fish oil modulates aortic nitric oxide and tocopherol status in the rat.
abstract: 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 MOon 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 alpha-tocopherol content were increased and n-3 PUFA were incorporated into the VLDL + LDL. In spite of the higher peroxidisability and the low alpha-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 a-tocopherol in aorta and by a compensatory effect of NO onVLDL + LDL against the low alpha-tocopherol levels, which may contribute to the anti-atherogenic properties of fish oil.
authors.affiliation: Departament de Fisiologia, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 645, E-08028 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Diego
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: López
authors.forename: Matías
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Möller
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Denicola
authors.forename: Kelly
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Casós
authors.forename: Homero
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rubbo
authors.forename: José Ignacio
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Ruiz-Sanz
authors.forename: Maria Teresa
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Mitjavila
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001011:Aorta / Q000378:metabolism*; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000378:metabolism; D004058:Diffusion; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000032:analysis / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005395:Fish Oils / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000737:chemistry; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation; D008077:Lipoproteins, LDL / Q000378:metabolism; D008079:Lipoproteins, VLDL / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism*; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D017392:Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D014815:Vitamins / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D024502:alpha-Tocopherol / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3; D005395:Fish Oils; D008077:Lipoproteins, LDL; D008079:Lipoproteins, VLDL; D017392:Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances; D014815:Vitamins; C033266:Menhaden oil; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D024502:alpha-Tocopherol