β-Carotene supplementation results in adverse ventricular remodeling after acute myocardial infarction

• Published in: Nutrition (Burbank, Los Angeles County, Calif.) Vol. 22; no. 2; pp. 146 - 151
• Main Authors: Zornoff, Leonardo A.M., Matsubara, Beatriz B., Matsubara, Luiz S., Azevedo, Paula S., Minicucci, Marcos F., Campana, Alvaro O., Paiva, Sergio A.R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Elsevier Inc 01.02.2006; Elsevier
• Subjects: adverse effects; Animals; Antioxidants; Antioxidants - adverse effects; Antioxidants - pharmacology; beta Carotene - adverse effects; beta Carotene - pharmacology; beta-carotene; Biological and medical sciences; collagen; diastolic blood pressure; Dietary Supplements; Feeding. Feeding behavior; Fibrosis; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Heart - anatomy & histology; heart ventricle; Hypertrophy; Male; Myocardial function; myocardial infarction; Myocardial Infarction - pathology; Myocardium - pathology; Random Allocation; Rats; Rats, Wistar; systolic blood pressure; Treatment Outcome; vasodilation; Ventricular dilation; Ventricular Function - drug effects; Ventricular Function - physiology; Ventricular Remodeling - drug effects; Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems; Antioxidants; Myocardial function; Fibrosis; Ventricular dilation; Hypertrophy; Myocardial infarction; Carotene; Acute; Cardiovascular disease; Antioxidant; Myocardial disease; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Heart disease; Supplementation
• ISSN: 0899-9007; 1873-1244
• DOI: 10.1016/j.nut.2005.05.008

We studied the effects of β-carotene (BC) on ventricular remodeling after myocardial infarction. Myocardial infarction was induced in Wistar rats that were then treated with a BC diet (500 mg/kg of diet per day; MI-BC; n = 27) or a regular diet (MI; n = 27). Hearts were analyzed in vivo and in vitro after 6 mo. BC caused decreased left ventricular wall thickness (MI = 1.49 ± 0.3 mm, MI-BC = 1.23 ± 0.2 mm, P = 0.027) and increased diastolic (MI = 0.83 ± 0.15 cm 2, MI-BC = 0.98 ± 0.14 cm 2, P = 0.020) and systolic (MI = 0.56 ± 0.12 cm 2, MI-BC = 0.75 ± 0.13 cm 2, P = 0.002) left ventricular chamber areas. With respect to systolic function, the BC group presented less change in fractional area than did controls (MI = 32.35 ± 6.67, MI-BC = 23.77 ± 6.06, P = 0.004). There was no difference in transmitral diastolic flow velocities between groups. In vitro results showed decreased maximal isovolumetric systolic pressure (MI = 125.5 ± 24.1 mmHg, MI-BC = 95.2 ± 28.4 mmHg, P = 0.019) and increased interstitial myocardial collagen concentration (MI = 3.3 ± 1.2%, MI-BC = 5.8 ± 1.7%, P = 0.004) in BC-treated animals. Infarct sizes were similar between groups (MI = 45.0 ± 6.6%, MI-BC = 48.0 ± 5.8%, P = 0.246). Taken together, these data suggest that BC has adverse effects on ventricular remodeling after myocardial infarction.