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Vitamin E did not prevent platelet activation, but prevented increase of lipid peroxides and renal dysfunction in
1Division of Applied Food Research, National Institute of Health and Nutrition, Tokyo, Japan.
Insights
Hypertension causes platelet exhaustion and increased lipid peroxides, leading to kidney dysfunction. Vitamin E treatment prevented lipid peroxide increases and kidney issues in hypertensive rats.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Science
- Cardiovascular Research
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Hypertension is associated with altered platelet function and oxidative stress.
- The role of lipid peroxides and vitamin E in hypertension-induced platelet changes requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine changes in platelet aggregability and lipid peroxide levels during hypertension development in rats.
- To investigate the effect of vitamin E on these changes and subsequent renal dysfunction.
Main Methods:
- DOCA-salt hypertension model in rats.
- Measurement of blood pressure, platelet aggregability, serum lipid peroxides, and kidney/heart lipid peroxides.
- Assessment of serum urea nitrogen to indicate renal function.
- Evaluation of vitamin E treatment effects.
Main Results:
- Hypertensive rats showed decreased platelet aggregability and granule content, suggesting platelet exhaustion.
- Significant increases in lipid peroxides were observed in serum, heart, and kidney by day 24.
- Vitamin E treatment did not inhibit in vivo platelet activation but significantly reduced lipid peroxide levels and serum urea nitrogen.
- Renal dysfunction was indicated by increased serum urea nitrogen in hypertensive rats.
Conclusions:
- Hypertension leads to in vivo platelet activation, increased lipid peroxides, and renal dysfunction in a sequential manner.
- Vitamin E demonstrates a protective effect against lipid peroxidation and renal dysfunction in this hypertensive model.
- These findings highlight the potential therapeutic role of vitamin E in managing hypertension-related complications.
Abstract:
Changes in platelet aggregability patterns and lipid peroxide levels and their relationship were examined in DOCA-salt hypertensive rats during the development of hypertension. In addition, the effect of vitamin E treatment on those changes was also investigated. The blood pressure of the hypertensive rats was 188, 201, 212 mmHg on day 11, 17, and 23, respectively. In the hypertensive rats, both aggregability and granule content in platelet decreased on day 12, 18, 24, and marked decreases were observed on day 24. These data suggested the appearance of exhausted platelets, which had been already activated in vivo due to the hypertension. Marked increases in lipid peroxide levels in serum, the heart and the kidney were observed on day 24 in the hypertensive rats. Increase in serum urea nitrogen was also observed in the hypertensive rats on day 24, suggesting the dysfunction of the kidney. Vitamin E treatment did not prevent in vivo platelet activation due to hypertension, but greatly prevented the elevations of lipid peroxides in serum, the heart and the kidney, and serum urea nitrogen. These results suggested that in vivo platelet activation, an increase of lipid peroxides, and renal dysfunction occur in this order due to hypertension, and that the latter two are significantly prevented by vitamin E treatment.