Vitamin D Replacement Mitigates Menopause-Associated Dyslipidaemia and Atherogenic Indices in Ovariectomized Rats; A Biochemical Study

Abstract

Background & aim: Dyslipidaemia is highly prevalent among postmenopausal women and its management represents a keystone in the prevention of the worldwide increase in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Therapy choices for menopause-associated dyslipidaemia are limited and a matter of debate. So, it becomes prudent to search for natural safe alternatives. Vitamin D (VD) has been acknowledged as an essential factor in cardiovascular health. Thus, we aimed to illustrate the impact of different VD status on dyslipidaemia and atherogenic indices.

Method: 5 groups of rats were conducted; SHAM group fed control diet, ovariectomized rats fed control diet (OVX), ovariectomized rats fed VD-sufficient-high fat diet (HFD) (1 000 IU/ kg diet), ovariectomized rats fed VD-deficient-HFD (25 IU/ kg diet), and ovariectomized rats fed VD-replete-HFD (10 000 IU/ kg diet) for 16 weeks.

Results: Dyslipidaemia with an increased atherogenic index of plasma, atherosclerosis coefficient, cardiac risk ratio, and aortic total cholesterol accumulation in addition to reduced serum 25-hydroxy-VD levels was observed in the OVX and VD-sufficient HFD versus SHAM. These findings were aggravated by VD-deficient-HFD while reversed by VD-replete-HFD. The VD-mediated abundance of aortic ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1) expression, reduced activity of the inflammatory Jun N-terminal kinases (JNK), and downregulation of aortic cluster of differentiation-36 (CD36) receptors expression together with increased serum total antioxidant capacity and reduced serum malondialdehyde were among the supposed mechanisms.

Conclusions: Our study sheds light on alarming levels of VD deficiency among ovariectomized rats. VD repletion improved the menopause-associated dyslipidaemia and atherogenic indices through hypolipidemic, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory effects.