The metabolic syndrome of fructose-fed rats: effects of long-chain polyunsaturated ω3 and ω6 fatty acids. VI. Further post-mortem investigations.

The present study documents the increases in systolic arterial blood pressure, plasma leptin concentration and kidney proliferating cell nuclear antigen index, as well as the decreases in glutathione reductase, superoxide dismutase and catalase enzymatic activities in the liver, heart, kidney, soleus muscle and visceral adipose tissue homogenates of female rats exposed for 8 weeks to a diet containing 64% (w/w) D-fructose instead of 64% starch. In the fructose-fed rats, the partial substitution of sunflower oil by either safflower oil or salmon oil often opposed the fructose-induced changes in these variables. The present results, thus, extend to these functional, hormonal and enzymatic parameters the knowledge that the dietary supply of long-chain polyunsaturated ω6 fatty acids, mainly C18:2ω6, and long-chain polyunsaturated ω3 fatty acids opposes the undesirable features of the fructose-induced metabolic syndrome, with salmon oil demonstrating particular efficacy.