Dietary intervention with Salvia hispanica (Chia) oil improves vascular function in rabbits under hypercholesterolaemic conditions

SIERRA LILIANA; ROCO JULIETA; ALARCON GABRIELA; MIRTA MEDINA; CARINA VAN NIEUWENHOVE; MARIA PERAL DE BRUNO; JEREZ SUSANA

Journal of Functional foods

Elsevier

Año: 2015 vol. 14 p. 641 - 649

1756-4646

The effects of dietary supplementation with Salvia hispanica (chia) oil on vascular functionin hypercholesterolaemic rabbit were examined. Rabbits were fed either regular diet (CD)or 10% chia oil in regular diet or 1% cholesterol diet (HD) or diet containing 1% cholesteroland 10% chia oil (HD-Ch) during 5?6 weeks. HD increased total cholesterol, LDL andtriacylglycerol levels. HD-Ch significantly attenuated the triacylglycerol rise and increasedalpha linolenic acid (ALA) levels. Aorta from hypercholesterolaemic rabbits exhibited animpaired relaxation response to acetylcholine (Ach), reduced NO-release and increasedintima/media ratio. Including chia oil in the HD partially normalized the response to Achand the intima/media ratio, and totally restored the NO-release. In addition, dietarysupplementation with chia oil blunted the contractile response to angiotensin II andnoradrenaline. These findings suggest that increased ALA levels induced by dietary chia oilcould improve vascular function under hypercholesterolaemic conditions and therefore couldserve as a true functional food.