Abstract 13176: Beneficial Effects of Purified Eicosapentaenoic Acid on Myocardial Fibrosis and Diastolic Cardiac Function in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats

• Published in: Circulation (New York, N.Y.) Vol. 138; no. Suppl_1 Suppl 1; p. A13176
• Main Authors: Pflum, Adam W, Robinson, Killian C, Bi, Jianli, Xu, Vivian, Herrington, David M, Meléndez, Giselle C
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: by the American College of Cardiology Foundation and the American Heart Association, Inc 06.11.2018
• ISSN: 0009-7322; 1524-4539

IntroductionHypertensive patients often experience left ventricular (LV) dysfunction associated with cardiac fibrosis. Pre-treatment with eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) prevent these deleterious effects in animal models of acute pressure overload. We sought to determine whether purified EPA consumption mitigates myocardial fibrosis and LV dysfunction in rats with established hypertension, a situation similar to a clinical scenario.MethodsThirty 12 week-old spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) were randomized to receive purified EPA or corn oil supplemented diet (Control group [CTL]) for 20 weeks. We assessed tail-cuff systolic blood pressures (SBP) at baseline and pre-necropsy; at 20 weeks, in blinded analysis, we measured LV structure and function by transthoracic echocardiography, EPA levels in erythrocytes (% of fatty acids) and LV collagen volume fraction (CVF) using picrosirius red stain.ResultsAnimals had elevated SBP at baseline (EPA151.5 ± 5.3 mm Hg vs. CTL 157.2 ± 5.8 mm Hg, p=0.45) and EPA diet did not have an effect on pre-necropsy SBP (EPA-BP199.2 ± 7.3 mm Hg vs. CTL-SBP206.4 ± 9.5 mm Hg, p=0.56). Rats on EPA diet had higher erythrocyte EPA levels (EPA0.84 ± 0.07 % vs. CTL0.08 ± 0.10 %, p=0.001), lower LV diastolic filling pressures [E/eʼ] (EPA16.2 ± 1.2 vs. CTL21.0 ± 1.2, p=0.01) [Figure A] and lower CVF (EPA1.62 ± 0.07 % vs. CTL2.43 ± 0.01 %, p<0.0001) [Figure B]. Additional echocardiographic parameters of LV remodeling and systolic function were not statistically different between groups.ConclusionsAnimals with established hypertension on an EPA enriched diet developed less LV myocardial fibrosis and diastolic dysfunction compared to those on a control diet. These results add to an accumulating body of evidence that EPA supplementation may be an effective treatment strategy to mitigate LV dysfunction and myocardial fibrosis in hypertension. Future studies in humans are urgently needed to confirm the potential benefits of EPA supplementation.