The effect of red palm oil supplementation of an oxidative risk induced diet and a high saturated fat diet on ischaemia/perfusion injury in the isolated perfused rat heart

Abstract

Research has shown that the activation of the NO-cGMP pathway leads to myocardial protection from oxidative stress conditions, such as ischaemia and reperfusion. Few of these studies have however combined diet induced oxidative stress with ischaemia/reperfusion injury. Although little is known about the effects of supplements such as red palm oil (RPO) on the NO-cGMP pathway, research has shown that dietary RPO-supplementation improved reperfusion aortic output recovery through mechanisms that may include activation of the NO-cGMP- and inhibition of the cAMP pathway. RPO is an antioxidant-rich oil containing ~carotene and Vitamin E (tocopherols and tocotrienols). The aims of this study were to determine: 1) whether RPO-supplementation of an oxidative risk induced diet (ORD) and a high saturated fat diet (HFD) offers protection against ischaemia/reperfusion injury in the isolated perfused rat heart and 2) the possible mechanisms for this protection. Male Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups for a period of 14 weeks according to the dietary supplementation they received. The control groups received either an oxidative risk induced diet (ORD) or a high saturated fat diet (HFD), while the experimental groups received an ORD supplemented with RPO (ORD+RPO) or a HFD supplemented with RPO (HFD+RPO).