Effects of dietary oleic-rich oils (virgin olive and high-oleic-acid sunflower) on vascular reactivity in Wistar-Kyoto and spontaneously hypertensive rats

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Abstract
The effects of two monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA)-rich diets, containing virgin olive oil (OO) and high-oleic-acid sunflower oil (HOSO), on development of vascular response from isolated thoracic rat aorta and lipid composition and fatty acid composition were studied and compared with samples from rats fed on a control diet. Dietary MUFA oils were fed for 6 weeks to spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) and Wistar–Kyoto (WKY) rats from 4 weeks of age. The maximum contraction of aortic ring preparations in response to phenylephrine (10-6M) WAS SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED IN SHR RATS FED WITH OO (0·81 (sem 0·05)v.1·18 (sem 0·09)g, P-5m) were significantly enhanced (30·03 (sem 0·70)v.18·47 (sem 0·28) %, P-8–10-5m) from SHR rats, accompained with a slower contraction. These results suggest that only the chronic feeding of OO diet was able to attenuate the vascular response of rat aorta. In addition, an increase in phospholipid content (186·7 (sd 3·2)v.159·1 (sd 11·3) g/kg, P<0·01) and changes in the fatty acid composition of aorta (mainly a decrease in arachidonic acid) could contribute to improving endothelial function. Therefore, the effects can not be attributed exclusively to the content of MUFA (mainly oleic acid). Other components of OO, such as polyphenols, not present in HOSO, may help to explain the vascular protective effect of OO consumption.