Hemorheological effects of secoisolariciresinol in ovariectomized rats

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Maslov, Mikhail Y.^{a; *} | Plotnikova, Tatiana M.^b | Anishchenko, Anna M.^c | Aliev, Oleg I.^c | Nifantiev, Nikolay E.^d | Plotnikov, Mark B.^c

Affiliations: [a] Steward St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center/Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA. E-mail: mikhail.maslov@steward.org | [b] Siberian State Medical University, Tomsk, Russia | [c] E.D. Goldberg Institute of Pharmacology and Regenerative Medicine, Russian Academy of Sciences, Tomsk, Russia | [d] N.D. Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia

Correspondence: [*] Address for correspondence: Mikhail Y. Maslov, Steward St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center/Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine, 720 Cambridge st., CBR 412, Boston, MA, USA. Tel.: +1 617 789 5017; Fax: +1 617 254 6384; E-mail: mikhail.maslov@steward.org.

Abstract: Background:Postmenopausal women often develop hemorheological disorders which may affect the systemic blood circulation and present a cardiovascular risk factor. Objective:We evaluated effects of secoisolariciresinol (SECO), a phytoestrogen, on hemorheological parameters and lipid peroxidation in a model of the age-related and/or surgical menopause induced by ovariectomy in rats. Methods:Arterial blood was sampled from sham-operated female rats, ovariectomized rats (OVX), and OVX treated with SECO (OVXSECO) (20 mg/kg/day intragastrically for two weeks). Plasma estrogen concentration and the following hemorheological parameters were measured: RBC aggregation (half-time of aggregation, T1/2; amplitude of aggregation, AMP; aggregation index, AI), RBC deformability (elongation index, EI), whole blood viscosity at the shear rate of 3–300 s−1, plasma viscosity, hematocrit, plasma fibrinogen. Lipid peroxidation was evaluated by measuring conjugated dienes (CD) and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) in plasma. Results:Ovariectomy in rats caused a 60% decrease in plasma estrogen level and triggered the development of macro- and microhemorheological abnormalities. Blood viscosity increased by 12–31%, RBC elongation index reduced by 16–28%, and T1/2 and AI increased by 35% and 29% respectively. The increase in blood viscosity correlated predominantly with reduced RBC deformability. Plasma CD and TBARS were elevated by 47% and 104% respectively. SECO therapy for OVX rats reduced blood viscosity by 9–18% and T1/2 by 32%, and increased EI by 4–17%. SECO therapy disrupted the correlation between blood viscosity and RBC deformability. Lipid peroxidation was significantly inhibited, as shown by the reduction in CD and TBARS plasma concentrations by 89% and 70% respectively. SECO did not affect plasma viscosity, estrogen or fibrinogen levels. Conclusions:SECO treatment for OVX rats improves blood macro- and microrheological parameters, possibly through antioxidant protection of RBC.

Keywords: Ovariectomized rats, secoisolariciresinol, whole blood viscosity, plasma viscosity, RBC aggregation, RBC deformability

DOI: 10.3233/BIR-15066

Journal: Biorheology, vol. 53, no. 1, pp. 23-31, 2016