Effect of orally administered EPA and DHA on congestive heart failure in rat (831.7)

Abstract

This study assessed the effect of EPA and DHA on congestive heart failure (CHF) in rat. Four‐week‐old male rats were divided into 4 groups: C (normal, administered saline, n=4‐5); H (with CHF, administered saline, n=10‐11); HE (with CHF, administered EPA‐ethyl ester (EPA‐Et), n=9‐10); and HD (with CHF, administered DHA‐ethyl ester (DHA‐Et), n=10). CHF was produced by subcutaneous injection of monocrotaline (MCT) into 5‐week‐old rats. Starting from 3 days before MCT injection, rats were orally administered (1g/kg body weight) saline or one of the two fatty acids daily, anaesthetized on day 24, their electrocardiograms (ECGs) recorded, serum samples drawn, and then killed. The heart was removed, and kept at ‐80ºC or fixed with paraformaldehyde. Fatty acid levels in the heart and triglycerides in serum were determined. Pathological assessment was performed on heart tissue. The Q and T waves (QT) interval on ECG was significantly shorter (P 蠄 0.05) in C and HD groups than in H and HE groups. In the heart, EPA level was higher in HE group and DHA level higher in C and HD groups, compared to H group (P 蠄 0.05). Triglyceride level was significantly decreased (P 蠄 0.05) in H, HE and HD groups compared to C group. In HD group, mononuclear cells tended to infiltrate less into myocytes than in H group (P = 0.06). The right ventricle weighed significantly more (P 蠄 0.05) in H, HE and HD groups compared to C group. The mean survival rate in the three experiments was 100% for C group, 74% for H group, 65% for HE group and 70% for HD group. Administration of EPA‐Et or DHA‐Et may affect cardiac function through alteration of heart fatty acid composition. Furthermore, DHA‐Et administration may contribute to ameliorating CHF.Grant Funding Source: Supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number 21500788