Protective role of Dietary Choline and Docosahexaenoic acid or Environmental enrichment in attenuating high fat diet-induced arterial wall changes in obese rats

Abstract

Childhood obesity increases body mass index and long term metabolic disturbances. The present study is designed to analyze postnatal obesity-induced changes in body mass index and common carotid artery wall thickness and the role of dietary choline and DHA or environmental enrichment in mitigating these changes. Four groups of male rat pups (n=8/group) were assigned as Normal control (NC), Obese (OB) fed high-fat diet, Obesity-induced supplemented choline and DHA (OB+CHO+DHA) with 5mmol/kg/day of choline and 150 mg/ day of DHA, Obesity-induced environmental enrichment (OB+EE) exposed to environmental enrichment for 90 days. Body mass index was calculated after 90 days. Subsequently, rats were euthanized to excise common carotid artery. 5µ thick sections were processed for haematoxylin and eosin and Verhoff –Vangeison stains. Mean body weight, body mass index, thickness of tunica intima, media and percentage of collagen fibers in artery were significantly higher in OB group (p< 0.01, <0.001,< 0.01, < 0.001, < 0.05) as compared to the same in NC rats respectively. These changes were significantly (p<0.01, < 0.05) attenuated in OB+CHO+DHA and OB+EE groups compared to OB rats. Increased body mass index in early ages is an indicator for atherosclerosis. Supplementation of dietary choline and DHA or environmental enrichment exposure attenuates these changes from an early young age.