Effects of high-fat, low-cholesterol diets on hepatic lipid peroxidation and antioxidants in apolipoprotein E-deficient mice

The present study describes the effects of several high-fat low-cholesterol antiatherogenic diets on the hepatic lipid peroxidation and hepatic antiox idant systems in apolipoprotein E-deficient mice. Eighty mice were distribu ted into five groups and fed with regular mouse chow or chow supplemented w ith coconut, palm, olive and sunflower seed oils. After ten weeks, they wer e sacrificed and the livers were removed so that lipid peroxidation and alp ha -tocopherol concentrations, and superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxi dase and glutathione reductase activities could be measured. The size of th e atherosclerotic lesions in the aortas was also measured. Results showed t hat the diets supplemented with olive oil, palm oil or sunflower seed oil s ignificantly decreased the size of the lesion. However, there was an associ ation between those mice that were on diets supplemented with palm or cocon ut oils and a significant increase in hepatic lipid peroxidation. This asso ciation was not found in animals fed with olive or sunflower seed oils, the diets with the highest content of vitamin E. The dietary content of vitami n E was significantly correlated (r = 0.98; p < 0.05) with the hepatic conc entration of this compound. Our study suggests that the high content of vit amin E in olive oil or sunflower seed oil may protect from the undesirable hepatotoxic effects of high-fat diets in apo E-deficient mice and that this should be taken into account when these diets are used to prevent atherosc lerosis.