The Beneficial Effect of n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids on Doxorubicin-induced Chronic Heart Failure in Rats

• Published in: Journal of international medical research Vol. 38; no. 3; pp. 940 - 948
• Main Authors: Teng, LL, Shao, L, Zhao, YT, Yu, X, Zhang, DF, Zhang, H
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London, England SAGE Publications 01.06.2010
• Subjects: Animals; Antibiotics, Antineoplastic - toxicity; Chronic Disease; Disease Models, Animal; Doxorubicin - toxicity; Echocardiography; Fatty Acids, Omega-3 - pharmacology; Heart - drug effects; Heart Failure - blood; Heart Failure - physiopathology; Heart Failure - prevention & control; Interleukin-10 - blood; Male; Myocardium - pathology; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha - blood; Ventricular Function - drug effects; Ventricular Function - physiology; Heart Failure; Rat model; n-3 fatty acids; Doxorubicin
• ISSN: 0300-0605; 1473-2300
• DOI: 10.1177/147323001003800320

This study was designed to assess the effects of dietary supplementation with n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) from fish oil on the response of doxorubicin-induced chronic heart failure in rats. Male Sprague–Dawley rats were treated daily for 8 weeks with normal saline or n-3 PUFA intragastrically after induction of myocardial injury by intraperitoneal injection of doxorubicin 2 mg/kg once weekly for 8 weeks. Cardiac function was assessed by echocardiography. The cytoprotective role of n-3 PUFA against doxorubicin-induced myocardial injury was demonstrated by light microscopy, and serum cytokines (tumour necrosis factor-α and interleukin-10) were analysed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Doxorubicin induced death, alterations in echocardiography parameters and histological damage, all of which are features that characterize heart failure. There were significant differences between the doxorubicin-induced heart failure group and the n-3 PUFA-treated group in terms of echocardiography parameters and cytokine changes. Thus, dietary supplementation with n-3 PUFA attenuated doxorubicin-induced cardiac dysfunction, an effect that might be associated with recovery from an imbalance of the cytokine network.