THE CHIA (Salvia hispanica) OIL CONSUMPTION IMPROVES ALTERATIONS HAEMATOLOGICAL GENERATED BY A RICH CHOLESTEROL DIET.

GIRIBALDI R; MEDINA, A; MEDINA M,; MINACK C; VAN NIEUWENHOVE C,; SAAD S,; SIERRA L,; JEREZ S

Jornada; XXXI ANNUAL SCIENTIFIC MEETING; 2014

THE CHIA (Salvia hispanica) OIL CONSUMPTION IMPROVES ALTERATIONS HAEMATOLOGICAL GENERATED BY A RICH CHOLESTEROL DIETGiribaldi R1 ; Medina A1 ; Medina M1 ; Minack C2 ; van Nieuwenhove C1,3; Saad S1 ; Sierra L1 ; Jerez S1,2 . 1Facultad de Cs. Naturales e IML-UNT; 2 INSIBIO (CONICET-UNT); 3CERELA (CONICET). Miguel Lillo 205. Tucumán. Argentina. E-mail: rosanagiribaldiciencias@gmail.com The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of consuming chia oil (rich in ω3 fatty acids) in the morphological alterations and the fatty acid composition and membrane fluidity of an animal model of hypercholesterolemia caused by a diet high in cholesterol. The rabbits were divided into 4 groups: 1) Fed with control diet (DC), 2) DC supplemented with 1% cholesterol (DH), 3) DC added with chia oil 10% (DC-CH), 4) DH chia oil added with 10% (DH-CH) for 6 weeks. After this period blood was taken and analyzed for plasma triglycerides (TG) and cholesterol (TC, LDL, HDL). Erythrocyte membranes were removed and fatty acids were measured by gas chromatography and membrane fluidity by fluorescence polarization. The blood smear and leukocyte formula was performed. The chia oil decreased TG levels (mg/dl) (DH: 222.3 ± 32.6 vs DH-CH: 91.7 ± 14) and the presence of acanthocytes (2% vs 10.15%), echinocytes (23% vs 60.55%) and anisocytosis (55.6% vs 83.16%) in rabbits with DH. Also rouleaux not characteristic of DH were observed. Adding chia oil decreased the fluorescence polarization (DH: 0.385 ± 0.033 vs DH-CH: 0.305 ± 0,01vs DCH: 0.301 ± 0.008) and% saturated fatty acids (SFA) in erythrocyte membranes (DH: 70 vs DH-CH: 57 vs DC: 56) and increased the% of unsaturated fatty acids (UFA) (DC: 38 and DH-CH: 40 vs DH: 27) decreasing the SFA / UFA in DC: 1.5 and DH-CH: 1.6vs DH: 2.6 and atherogenic index (AI) in DC: 0.82 and DH-CH: 0.83 vs DH: 1.78. In conclusion, the addition of chia oil protects erythrocytes of deleterious changes induced by hypercholesterolemia increasing membrane fluidity by incorporating UFA to it. This improves the morphology of erythrocytes.