Serum Ex Vivo Lipoprotein Oxidizability in
Patients with Ischemic Heart Disease Supplemented with Vitamin E
A. NAGYOVÁ, V. MONGIELLOVÁ,
Z. KRIVOŠÍKOVÁ, P. BLAŽÍČEK1,
V. SPUSTOVÁ, M. GAJDOŠ, R. DZÚRIK
Institute of Preventive and Clinical
Medicine, Bratislava, Slovak Republic, 1Military
Hospital, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
Received May 14, 2001
Accepted March 8, 2002
Summary
The decreased oxidizability of plasma lipoproteins is related to
the increased vitamin E intake and its association with a
relatively lower incidence of coronary heart disease has been
proposed. We investigated the effect of the in vivo vitamin E
supplementation on the oxidizability of serum lipids in patients
with ischemic heart disease and a moderate hypercholesterolemia.
Thirty-two patients (16 males and 16 postmenopausal women)
participated in this placebo-controlled, randomized trial. They
were treated with 400 mg vitamin E/day for 6 weeks. The
copper-induced serum lipid oxidizability ex vivo was assessed by
measuring conjugated diene formation at 245 nm. We also measured
vitamin E, malondialdehyde (MDA) and uric acid concentrations in
the plasma. Because of observed significant differences in
parameters of serum lipid oxidizability (lag time and maximal
rate of oxidation), plasma a-tocopherol and MDA levels between
male patients and postmenopausal women supplemented with vitamin
E, the results were compared between both genders. Six weeks of
vitamin E supplementation significantly increased plasma vitamin
E levels (by 87 %) in male patients but in postmenopausal women
only by 34 %. Concomitantly with increased plasma levels of
vitamin E the decrease in plasma MDA levels was observed in male
patients (decrease by 20 %; p=0.008), but in postmenopausal
women the decrease did not attain statistical significance.
Plasma uric acid levels were not apparently changed in placebo
or vitamin E supplemented groups of patients. The changes in ex
vivo serum lipid oxidizability after vitamin E, supplementation
have shown a significantly prolonged lag time (by 11 %; p=0.048)
and lowered rate of lipid oxidation (by 21 %; p=0.004) in male
patients in comparison with postmenopausal women. Linear
regression analysis revealed a significant correlation between
plasma vitamin E levels and the lag time (r=0.77; p=0.03) and
the maximal rate of serum lipid oxidation (r=-0.70; p=0.05) in
male patients. However, in postmenopausal women the correlations
were not significant. We conclude that 400 mg vitamin E/day
supplementation in patients with ischemic heart disease and a
moderate hypercholesterolemia influenced favorably ex vivo serum
lipid oxidation of male patients when compared with
postmenopausal women. The observed differences between both
genders could be useful in the selection of the effective
vitamin E doses in the prevention of coronary heart disease.
Key
words
Serum lipoprotein oxidizability · Vitamin E · Coronary heart
disease
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Anna Nagyová, Institute of Preventive and Clinical Medicine,
Limbová 14, 833 01 Bratislava, Slovak Republic, e-mail:
nagyova@upkm.sk
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