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1 Physiology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
2 Biochemistry and Med Genetics, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
3 Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States
4 Oral Biology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
5 Human Nutritional Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: gpierce{at}sbrc.ca.
Dietary flaxseed has significant anti-atherogenic effects. However, the limits of this action and its effects on vascular contractile function are not known. We evaluated the effects of flaxseed supplementation on atherosclerosis and vascular function under prolonged hypercholesterolemic conditions in New Zealand White rabbits assigned to one of 4 groups for 6, 8 or 16 weeks of feeding: regular diet (RG), 10% flaxseed supplemented diet (FX), 0.5% cholesterol supplemented diet (CH), and 0.5% cholesterol and 10% flaxseed supplemented diet (CF). Cholesterol feeding resulted in elevated plasma cholesterol levels and the development of atherosclerosis. The CF group had significantly less atherosclerotic lesions in the aorta and carotid arteries following 6 and 8 weeks than the CH animals. However, the anti-atherogenic effect of flaxseed supplementation was completely attenuated by 16 weeks. Maximal tension induced in aortic rings by either KCl or norepinephrine (NE) was not impaired by dietary cholesterol until 16 weeks. This functional impairment was not prevented by including flaxseed in the high cholesterol diet. Aortic rings from the cholesterol-fed rabbits exhibited an impaired relaxation response to acetylcholine (ACh) at all time points examined. Including flaxseed in the high cholesterol diet completely normalized the relaxation responses at 6 and 8 weeks and partially restored it at 16 weeks. No significant changes in the relaxation response induced by sodium nitroprusside were observed in any of the groups. In summary, dietary flaxseed is a valuable strategy to limit cholesterol-induced atherogenesis as well as abnormalities in endothelial-dependent vasorelaxation. However, these beneficial effects were attenuated during prolonged hypercholesterolemic conditions.
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