[Correction of lipoprotein lipid peroxidation in experimental atherosclerosis with polyunsaturated fatty acids...

Atherosclerotic lesion of the aorta and lipid peroxidation (LPO) in blood and in lipoproteins produced in hepatocytes were studied in rabbits with experimental atherosclerosis maintained on a diet enriched in polyunsaturated fatty acids containing in corn oil (2 ml/kg daily during 30 days) and antioxidants alpha-tocopherol and carnosine (2.5 mg/kg and 50 mg/kg, respectively, daily during 30 days). This diet exhibited a hypocholesterolemic effect accompanied by approximately a 10-fold decrease of the impaired aortic area, as well as lowered content of 2-thiobarbituric acid-positive LPO products occurring in blood and, especially, in apoB lipoproteins. The antioxidant-containing diet decreased distinctly the content of LPO products both in the liver tissue homogenate and lipoprotein fraction (d < 1.065 g/cm3) produced by hepatocytes during 30-min perfusion of liver tissue. The findings suggest that the diet enriched in polyunsaturated fatty acids and antioxidants contributed to a decrease of LPO products content in the blood serum and apoB lipoproteins as well as to the inhibition of lipoprotein oxidation during their synthesis in liver cells; the diet may be recommended for the prophylaxis and treatment of atherosclerosis.