Docosahexaenoic acid induces lipid accumulation in myocardial cells of rats

Abstract

Hexeberg S, Willumsen N, Berge RK. Docosahexaenoic acid induces lipid accumulation in myocardial cells of rats. Scand J Clin Lab Invest 1994; 54: 665-71.

The aim of the study was to explore whether treatment with highly purified docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) over a short period affects the amount of lipid droplets in myocardial cells of rats, and whether heart peroxisomal enzyme activity is changed. Fifteen rats were fed a standard diet for 10 days and 15 rats were fed a cholesterol diet (2% of cholesterol) for 10 days. In each experiment six rats served as control, and three rats in each treatment group were given one of the following treatments by gastric intubation: DHA at 500, 1000, or 1500mg day⁻¹ kg⁻¹ body weight. The fractional volume of lipid droplets in myocardial cells was calculated by morphometric methods. The heart triglycerides and the volume fraction of lipid droplets in the myocardium were greater in the standard diet rats treated with DHA compared with controls. There was no such increase caused by DHA treatment in the cholesterol diet rats. The heart fatty acyl-CoA oxidase tended to increase with DHA treatment in both standard and cholesterol diet rats, but this was significantly increased only after treatment with DHA 1500mg day⁻¹ kg⁻¹ in the cholesterol diet rats. We conclude that treatment with highly purified DHA for 10 days results in cardiac lipidosis, assessed both by biochemical and morphological methods in standard diet rats, whereas DHA treatment has no additive effect on lipid accumulation in cholesterol fed rats.

Key Words:

• fatty acyl-CoA oxidase
• lipid droplets
• morphometry
• myocardium
• omega-3 fatty acid
• palmitoyl-CoA hydrolase