Supplementation with camelina oil prevents negative changes in the artery in orchidectomized rats

The aim of the research was to examine the influence of orchidectomy on the elasticity and wall structure of the abdominal aorta in male rats and to check whether camelina oil treatment has an effect on aorta wall characteristics in orchidectomized rats. Forty 2-month-old male Wistar rats were used in the experiment: 10 animals underwent a sham testis repositioning operation (SHO) and 30 rats were orchidectomized (ORX). After the convalescence period, the SHO and ORX1 rats were given physiological saline intragastrically for 8 weeks; simultaneously, the other rats received camelina oil at the dose of 5 g/kg/b.w. (ORX2) or 9 g/kg/b.w. (ORX3) once a day. At the end of experiment, the animals were euthanized and fragments of the aorta were sampled for elasticity measurement and for histomorphometric and immunohistochemistry analysis. Orchidectomy caused a significant increase in the thickness of the total wall and its particular layers, mean intensity of elastin fluorescence in the tunica intima-media, and the volume of collagen I in tunica adventitia of the abdominal aorta in comparison to the other groups. The mean intensity of collagen I fluorescence in the tunica adventitia and tunica intima-media was significantly lower in the aorta of the orchidectomized rats. The values of the histomorphometric parameters of animals receiving camelina oil were lower than in the ORX1 group and higher than in the SHO rats. The values of the other parameters analyzed after the camelina oil treatment were similar to those in the SHO rats. In conclusion, our study showed that orchidectomy induced changes in the abdominal aorta wall characteristic for aging. Supplementation with camelina oil prevents negative consequences in the vessel wall structure in males with impaired endocrine function.