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This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 291/6/H2987    most recent 01179.2005v1 Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Web of Science (7) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Dupasquier, C. M. C. Articles by Pierce, G. N. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Dupasquier, C. M. C. Articles by Pierce, G. N.

Effects of dietary flaxseed on vascular contractile function and atherosclerosis during prolonged hypercholesterolemia in rabbits

¹Canadian Centre for Agri-Food Research in Health and Medicine, ²Institute for Cardiovascular Sciences, St. Boniface Hospital Research Centre, ³Departments of Physiology, ⁴Oral Biology, ⁵Human Nutritional Sciences, and ⁶Biochemistry and Medical Genetics, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada; and ⁷Section of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois

Submitted 8 November 2005 ; accepted in final form 4 July 2006

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 four groups for 6, 8, or 16 wk 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 after 6 and 8 wk than the CH animals. However, the anti-atherogenic effect of flaxseed supplementation was completely attenuated by 16 wk. Maximal tension induced in aortic rings either by KCl or norepinephrine was not impaired by dietary cholesterol until 16 wk. 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 at all time points examined. Including flaxseed in the high-cholesterol diet completely normalized the relaxation response at 6 and 8 wk and partially restored it at 16 wk. 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.

linseed; acetylcholine; nutrition; polyunsaturated fatty acids; vascular relaxation

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