DIETARY VITAMIN-E IN AN ATHEROGENIC HAMSTER MODEL

Regular consumption of fruits, vegetables and cereals moderates develo pment of coronary heart disease and atherosclerosis in humans, possibl y as a result of antioxidants present in these foods. The aim of this study was to develop a hamster model sufficiently sensitive to test th e effects of nutritional rather than pharmacological amounts of food c omponents on the development of atherosclerosis. The effect of vitamin E on aortic lipid deposition was investigated in hamsters fed a hyper cholesterolemic diet containing per kilogram 2 g cholesterol, 90 g but terfat, 35 g vitamin E-stripped corn oil, 25 g fish oil and either the minimum requirement of 3 international units (IU) vitamin E or 30 IU. After 30 weeks, lipoprotein cholesterol fractions did not differ betw een groups, and the 6:1 LDL-cholesterol : HDL-cholesterol ratio was at herogenic. Early atherosclerosis was measured by lipid staining of aor tic arch sections with oil red O and quantified by a photomicroscopy c olor-scanning technique. The area of lipid deposits in the 30 IU vitam in E group (7.9 +/- 1.3%, mean +/- SEM) was 58% less than in the 3 IU vitamin E group (18.7 +/- 4.4%, p < 0.03). Hamsters fed a mixture of s aturated and n-6 and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids plus cholesterol became hypercholesterolemic and were sensitive to vitamin E with respe ct to development of atherosclerosis. This model provides a tool to te st atheroprotective effects of individual food components in vivo. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Inc.