Krill oil attenuates left ventricular dilatation after myocardial infarction in rats

Abstract

BackgroundIn the western world, heart failure (HF) is one of the most important causes of cardiovascular mortality. Supplement with n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) has been shown to improve cardiac function in HF and to decrease mortality after myocardial infarction (MI). The molecular structure and composition of n-3 PUFA varies between different marine sources and this may be of importance for their biological effects. Krill oil, unlike fish oil supplements, contains the major part of the n-3 PUFA in the form of phospholipids. This study investigated effects of krill oil on cardiac remodeling after experimental MI. Rats were randomised to pre-treatment with krill oil or control feed 14 days before induction of MI. Seven days post-MI, the rats were examined with echocardiography and rats in the control group were further randomised to continued control feed or krill oil feed for 7 weeks before re-examination with echocardiography and euthanization.ResultsThe echocardiographic evaluation showed significant attenuation of LV dilatation in the group pretreated with krill oil compared to controls. Attenuated heart weight, lung weight, and levels of mRNA encoding classical markers of LV stress, matrix remodeling and inflammation reflected these findings. The total composition of fatty acids were examined in the left ventricular (LV) tissue and all rats treated with krill oil showed a significantly higher proportion of n-3 PUFA in the LV tissue, although no difference was seen between the two krill oil groups.ConclusionsSupplement with krill oil leads to a proportional increase of n-3 PUFA in myocardial tissue and supplement given before induction of MI attenuates LV remodeling.

Marine Omega-3 Phospholipids: Metabolism and Biological Activities

“…Moreover, increased endocannabinoid levels, as metabolic parameters of metabolic syndrome and obesity [136], have been found to be ameliorated in obese rats, mice and humans after KO supplementation [44,45,57,69]. Other recent studies have demonstrated that KO improves memory function, protects against heart failure and attenuates inflammation in ulcerative colitis in rats [46,65,74]. …”

Influence of Storage Conditions on the Stability of Phospholipids-Rich Krill (Euphausia superba) Oil

“…Although more researches are needed to confirm the high bioavailability of KO, its bioactivities are evident. Hitherto, inhibition of hepatic steatosis (Tandy et al 2009), antiinflammation (Deutsch, 2007;Grimstad et al 2012), antioxidation (Grimstad et al 2012), anti-hyperlipidemic effect (Li et al 2013;Tillander et al 2014), antihyperglycemic effect (Tandy et al 2009), improving memory and cognitive function (Konagai et al 2013) and cardioprotective effect (Fosshaug et al 2011) of KO have been observed.…”

Fingerprinting Krill Oil by 31P, 1H and 13C NMR Spectroscopies

“…Krill oil is obtained from a tiny shrimp-like species, called Euphausia superba that lives in the Southern Ocean circling Antarctica. A wide range of articles describe the health benefits of krill oil supplementation that depend on a well-defined product and omega-3 phospholipid (PL) integrity [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14]. This implies the importance to be able to accurately identify the krill oil composition and differentiate from other oils.…”

“…And if not completely removed during production, trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO, an osmolyte and protein stabilizer) as well as homarine (N-methyl picolinic acid) can be detected. Moreover, krill oil contains copper-2 ions coming from hemocyanin that serve as oxygen binders in many crustaceans [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14].…”