Potassium selenocyanoacetate reduces the blood triacylglycerol and atherosclerotic plaques in high-fat-dieted mice.

BACKGROUND

Controlling blood lipid levels at the early stage of cardiovascular disease is a major focus of global disease prevention studies on atherosclerosis. The aim of our study was to investigate the effects of potassium selencyanoacetate on the blood lipid profiles and the formation of atherosclerotic plaques in mice fed with a high-fat diet.

METHODS

Forty male mice aged 8-10 weeks were randomly divided into the treatment group (n=20) and control group (n=20). The mice in the treatment group were given the high-fat diet supplemented with potassium selencyanoacetate (4.63 mg/kg/day) through a gavage, whereas the control group were fed with a same high-fat diet with 1.5 mL of normal saline only. After 16 weeks, the mice were euthanized using inhalation anesthetic methods. The aortas were isolated and stained with oil red O to observe the formation of plaques. Blood samples were collected from each animal to examine the levels of total cholesterol (TC), triacylglycerol (TG), HDL cholesterol (HDL-Ch), LDL cholesterol (LDL-Ch), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and plasma urea.

RESULTS

The percentage of the atherosclerotic plaques area was significantly lower in the treatment group than the control group (P=0.017). The levels of TG, ALT, AST, and plasma urea were significantly lower in the treatment group than the control group (all P<0.05). However, the levels of TC, HDL-Ch, and LDL-Ch were not significantly different between two groups (all P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Potassium selencyanoacetate could safely reduce the TG level and high-fat-diet induced atherosclerotic plaques in mice, which could be used as a potential drug to prevent cardiovascular atherosclerotic diseases.