a Department of Surgery, MetroHealth Medical Center , Case Western Reserve University , Cleveland , OH , USA.
b Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy , Zagazig University , Zagazig , Egypt.
Clin Exp Hypertens. 2019;41(2):174-180. doi: 10.1080/10641963.2018.1462375. Epub 2018 Apr 18.
Western diet (WD), rich in saturated fat and sugars, has become a risk factor for obesity and metabolic syndrome, however, its effect on endothelial function and vascular remodeling is not fully elucidated. Recent evidence suggests cross-talk between Rho kinase (ROCK) pathway and cardiovascular system. We aimed to investigate the effect of WD on aortic remodeling and the contribution of ROCK signaling. Eight week old male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed either standard chow diet (SD) or high fructose/ high-fat diet, typically as in WD. After 42 weeks, WD-fed rats showed hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, and hypertension without marked weight gain, compared to SD-fed rats. Significant up-regulation of ROCK-1 and -2, along with a decline in eNOS expression were found in the aortic tissue of WD-fed rats. Additionally, WD-fed rats displayed oxidative stress and fibrosis in their aortic tissues versus controls. Our findings suggest that long-term feeding of WD contributes to endothelial dysfunction and aortic remodeling in adult male rats. ROCK activation seems to be involved in WD-related vascular disorders and may represent a promising therapeutic target.
西方饮食（WD）富含饱和脂肪和糖，已成为肥胖和代谢综合征的一个风险因素，然而，其对血管内皮功能和血管重塑的影响尚未完全阐明。最近的证据表明 Rho 激酶（ROCK）通路与心血管系统之间存在相互作用。我们旨在研究 WD 对主动脉重塑的影响以及 ROCK 信号通路的作用。8 周龄雄性 Sprague-Dawley 大鼠分别喂食标准饲料（SD）或高果糖/高脂肪饮食，类似于 WD。42 周后，与 SD 喂养的大鼠相比，WD 喂养的大鼠出现高血糖、血脂异常和高血压，但体重无明显增加。在 WD 喂养的大鼠的主动脉组织中发现 ROCK-1 和 -2 的表达显著上调，同时 eNOS 表达下降。此外，与对照组相比，WD 喂养的大鼠的主动脉组织中存在氧化应激和纤维化。我们的研究结果表明，长期 WD 喂养会导致成年雄性大鼠的内皮功能障碍和主动脉重塑。ROCK 激活似乎与 WD 相关的血管疾病有关，可能成为一种有前途的治疗靶点。
