Resveratrol causes antiatherogenic effects in an animal model of atherosclerosis.
BACKGROUND
Resveratrol protects the cardiovascular system by a number of mechanisms, including antioxidant and anti-platelet activities.


OBJECTIVE
To assess the potential anti-inflammatory and antiatherogenic effects of resveratrol using rabbits fed a hypercholesterolemic diet (1% cholesterol).


METHODS
Twenty white male rabbits were selected and divided into two groups: control group (CG), 10 rabbits; and resveratrol group (RG), 10 rabbits. The animals were fed a hypercholesterolemic diet for 56 days. For the RG diet, resveratrol (2 mg/kg weight/day) was added from days 33-56.


RESULTS
There was no significant difference in the total serum cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, and triglycerides between the groups. Of the CG, 70% had advanced aortic atherosclerotic lesions (types III, IV, V, or VI). All animals from the RG had mild aortic atherosclerotic lesions (types I or II, or no lesions). The intima area and the intima/media layer area ratio was significantly lower in the RG as compared to the CG (p<0.001). Positive areas for VCAM-1 molecules were lower in the RG (p=0.007). The MCP-1 and IL-6 concentrations were lower in the RG than the CG (p=0.039 and p=0.015, respectively).


CONCLUSIONS
Resveratrol had significant anti-atherogenic and anti-inflammatory effects in an animal model with rabbits fed a hypercholesterolemic diet (1% cholesterol).
Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná, Curitiba, PR, Brasil.
Rossane Serafim
RS
Matos
Lis Andréa Villela
LA
Baroncini
Leonardo Brandão
LB
Précoma
Guilherme
G
Winter
Pedro Henrique
PH
Lambach
Emptyyn Y
EY
Caron
Flávia
F
Kaiber
Dalton Bertolim
DB
Précoma
D000818:Animals; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002791:Cholesterol, Dietary / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011817:Rabbits; D011897:Random Allocation; D000077185:Resveratrol; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013267:Stilbenes / Q000494:pharmacology*
D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D002791:Cholesterol, Dietary; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors; D013267:Stilbenes; D000077185:Resveratrol