Dietary red palm oil reduces ischaemia-reperfusion injury in rats fed a hypercholesterolaemic diet.

Abstract

We have previously shown that dietary red palm oil (RPO) supplementation improves functional recovery in hearts subjected to ischaemia-reperfusion. However, little knowledge exists concerning the effects of RPO supplementation of a high-cholesterol diet on ischaemia-reperfusion injury. The signalling mechanisms responsible for RPO's effects in the presence of cholesterol also remain to be elucidated. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to examine the effects of RPO, given with a high-cholesterol diet, on mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) phosphorylation and apoptosis. Long-Evans rats were fed a control diet, a control diet containing 2% cholesterol, or a control diet containing 2% cholesterol and 7 g RPO per kg (CRPO) for 5 weeks. Hearts were excised and mounted on an isolated working heart perfusion apparatus. Cardiac function was measured after which hearts were freeze-clamped and used to assess MAPK phosphorylation and to evaluate apoptosis. Cholesterol supplementation caused a poor aortic output (AO) recovery compared with the control group (35.5 (sem 6.2) v. 55.4 (sem 2.5) %), but when RPO was added, the percentage AO increased significantly. The cholesterol group's poor AO was associated with a significant increase in p38-MAPK phosphorylation, whereas the CRPO-supplemented group showed as significant reduction in p38-MAPK phosphorylation when compared with the cholesterol-supplemented group. This significant reduction in p38-MAPK was also associated with reduced apoptosis as indicated by significant reductions in caspase-3 and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavage.

• Authors: Maritza J Kruger, Anna-Mart Engelbrecht, Johan Esterhuyse, Eugene F du Toit, Jacques van Rooyen
• Journal: The British journal of nutrition (Br J Nutr) Vol. 97 Issue 4 Pg. 653-60 (Apr 2007) ISSN: 0007-1145 [Print] England
• PMID: 17349077 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Cholesterol, Dietary
• Dietary Fats, Unsaturated
• Plant Oils
• Palm Oil
• p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases

Topics

• Animals
• Aorta (physiopathology)
• Apoptosis (drug effects)
• Cholesterol, Dietary (administration & dosage)
• Diet
• Dietary Fats, Unsaturated (therapeutic use)
• Hypercholesterolemia (complications)
• Myocardial Reperfusion Injury (pathology, physiopathology, prevention & control)
• Palm Oil
• Phosphorylation (drug effects)
• Plant Oils (therapeutic use)
• Rats
• Rats, Long-Evans
• p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases (metabolism)