Atherosclerosis Development and Aortic Contractility in Hypercholesterolemic Rabbits Supplemented with Two Different Flaxseed Varieties

Abstract

Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) is widely regarded as the main beneficial component of flax for the prevention of cardiovascular disease. We evaluated the effect of the transgenic flaxseed W86—which is rich in ALA—on the lipid profile, atherosclerosis progression, and vascular reactivity in hypercholesterolemic rabbits compared to the parental cultivar Linola with a very low ALA content. Rabbits were fed a basal diet (control) or a basal diet supplemented with 1% cholesterol, 1% cholesterol and 10% flaxseed W86, or 1% cholesterol and 10% Linola flaxseed. A high-cholesterol diet resulted in an elevated plasma cholesterol and triglyceride levels compared to the control animals. Aortic sections from rabbits fed Linola had lower deposits of foamy cells than those from rabbits fed W86. A potassium-induced and phenylephrine-induced contractile response was enhanced by a high-cholesterol diet and not influenced by the W86 or Linola flaxseed. Pretreatment of the aortic rings with nitro-L-arginine methyl ester resulted in a concentration-dependent tendency to increase the reaction amplitude in the control and high-cholesterol diet groups but not the flaxseed groups. Linola flaxseed with a low ALA content more effectively reduced the atherosclerosis progression compared with the W86 flaxseed with a high concentration of stable ALA. Aorta contractility studies suggested that flaxseed ameliorated an increased contractility in hypercholesterolemia but had little or no impact on NO synthesis in the vascular wall.

Effect of Gender and Muscle Type on Fatty Acid Profile, Sanogenic Indices, and Instrumental and Sensory Analysis of Flemish Giant Rabbit Meat

“…This species can efficiently transform the residues of agricultural nature into a product of high nutritional-biological value meat [81]. Regarding the global sustainability in agriculture, agri-food by-products can be added to a variety of foods to increase their bioactive profile, fiber content, and antioxidant capacity [82][83][84][85] while maintaining good sensory acceptability, with applicability for rabbit meat, eventually for ready to eat products, like sausages, etc.…”

Protective Effects of Secoisolariciresinol Diglucoside on Arsenic-induced Renal Damage and Oxidative Stress in Rats

“…In vivo and in vitro studies revealed the antioxidant activity of the SDG in flaxseed (Kezimana et al, 2018). Flaxseed therapy has been shown to slow the progression of atherosclerosis because of its lignan concentration and the antioxidant impact of SDG (Parikh and Pierce, 2019;Bujok et al, 2021;AlRamadneh et al, 2022).When rats with streptozotocin-induced diabetes were given SDG, there was a considerable reduction in glucose and lipid concentrationsand an improvement in insulin levelswhichreduces the chance of developing diabetes (Prasad et al, 2000;Draganescu et al, 2021). SDG is effective against inflammation, lowering reactive oxygen species levels and decreasing apoptosis.…”