Physiol. Res. 52: 177-187, 2003

Antioxidant Status, Lipoprotein Profile and Liver Lipids in Rats Fed on High-Cholesterol Diet Containing Currant Oil Rich in n-3 and n-6 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids

R. VEČEŘA1, N. ŠKOTTOVÁ1, P. VÁŇA1, L. KAZDOVÁ2, Z. CHMELA3, Z. ŠVAGERA4, D. WALTEROVÁ4, J. ULRICHOVÁ4, V. ŠIMÁNEK4

1Institute of Pharmacology, Medical Faculty, Palacký University, Olomouc, 2Institute of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Prague, 3Institute of Pathological Physiology, Medical Faculty, Palacký University, Olomouc, and 4Institute of Medical Chemistry, Medical Faculty, Palacký University, Olomouc, Czech Republic
 

Received March 13, 2002
Accepted June 7, 2002


Summary
Plant-based n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) possess a prospective antiatherogenic potential. Currant oil from Ribes nigrum L. is one of the few plant oils containing PUFAn-3 (15.3 mol%) in addition to PUFAn-6 (60.5 mol%). This study was aimed at comparing the effects of currant oil with those of lard fat, rich in saturated (43.8 mol%) and monounsaturated (47.0 mol%) fatty acids, on antioxidant parameters, the lipoprotein profile and liver lipids in rats fed on 1 % (w/w) cholesterol diets containing either 10 % of currant oil (COD) or lard fat (LFD). After 3 weeks of feeding, the COD induced a significant decrease in blood glutathione (GSH) and an increase in Cu2+ induced oxidizability of serum lipids, but did not affect liver GSH and t-butyl hydroperoxide-induced lipoperoxidation of liver microsomes. Although the COD did not cause accumulation of liver triacylglycerols as LFD, the lipoprotein profile (VLDL, LDL, HDL) was not significantly improved after COD. The consumption of PUFAn-3 was reflected in LDL as an increase in eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acid. These results suggest that currant oil affects positively the lipid metabolism in the liver, above all it does not cause the development of a fatty liver. However, adverse effects of currant oil on the antioxidant status in the blood still remain of concern.


Key words
Polyunsaturated fatty acids • Currant oil • Antioxidant status • Lipoprotein profile • Liver lipids


Reprint requests
Nina Škottová, Institute of Pharmacology, Medical Faculty, Palacký University, Hněvotínská 3, 775 15 Olomouc, Czech Republic. E-mail: Nina@tunw.upol.cz


© 2003 by the Institute of Physiology, Czech Academy of Sciences