Table_1_Regular Dietary Intake of Palmitate Causes Vascular and Valvular Calcification in a Rabbit Model.XLSX

Aims: Palmitic acid (PA) and oleic acid (OA) are two main dietary fatty acids. Dietary intake of PA has been associated with cardiovascular disease risk, and the effect of OA remains uncertain. Our study aimed to assess the effect of a short-term intake of lard, as source of PA and OA, on aorta and aortic valve.
Methods and Results: Rabbits were fed with two lard-enriched diets, containing either elevated levels of PA or of both PA and OA as compared to chow diet. After 16 weeks of each diet, calcification was observed in the aortic intima and in the aortic valve. The extent of calcification did not differ between the two diets. In contrast, rabbits fed chow diet did not develop any calcification. In blood, PA enrichment resulted in decreased lymphocyte and monocyte counts and increased levels of hemoglobin and haematocrit. Levels of the calcification inhibitor fetuin-A were also diminished, whereas creatinine levels were raised. Of note, none of the diets changed cholesterol levels in LDL or HDL. Comprehensive quantitative lipidomics analysis identified diet-related changes in plasma lipids. Dietary PA enrichment led to a drop of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), in particular of linoleic acid in cholesteryl esters, triglycerides and diacylglycerols (DAG). Ratios of PA to 18-carbon PUFA in DAG were positively correlated with the extent of aortic valve calcification, and inversely with monocyte counts. PA content in blood correlated with aorta calcification.
Conclusions: Regular dietary PA intake induces vascular and valvular calcification independently of traditional risk factors. Our findings raise awareness about PA-rich food consumption and its potential deleterious effect on cardiovascular health.

研究目的：棕榈酸（Palmitic acid, PA）与油酸（Oleic acid, OA）是膳食中两种主要脂肪酸。膳食棕榈酸摄入与心血管疾病风险存在关联，而油酸的相关效应仍不明确。本研究旨在评估以猪油作为棕榈酸与油酸来源的短期摄入，对主动脉及主动脉瓣的影响。
方法与结果：本实验将家兔饲喂两种富含猪油的日粮，分别仅升高棕榈酸水平或同时升高棕榈酸与油酸水平，并以普通饲料日粮作为对照。各日粮组饲喂16周后，均可观察到主动脉内膜与主动脉瓣出现钙化。两种富含猪油的日粮组的钙化程度无显著差异。与之相反，饲喂普通饲料的家兔未出现任何钙化。血液检测结果显示，棕榈酸富集组的淋巴细胞与单核细胞计数降低，血红蛋白水平与血细胞比容升高。钙化抑制剂胎球蛋白-A（fetuin-A）的水平亦有所下降，而肌酐水平则升高。值得注意的是，两种日粮均未改变低密度脂蛋白（LDL）与高密度脂蛋白（HDL）中的胆固醇水平。全面的定量脂质组学分析显示，血浆脂质存在与日粮相关的变化：膳食棕榈酸富集会导致多不饱和脂肪酸（polyunsaturated fatty acids, PUFA）水平下降，尤其是胆固醇酯、甘油三酯与甘油二酯（diacylglycerols, DAG）中的亚油酸水平。甘油二酯中棕榈酸与18碳多不饱和脂肪酸的比值，与主动脉瓣钙化程度呈正相关，而与单核细胞计数呈负相关。血液中棕榈酸含量与主动脉钙化程度呈正相关。
结论：规律性膳食棕榈酸摄入可独立于传统心血管疾病风险因素，诱导血管与瓣膜钙化。本研究结果提示人们需关注富含棕榈酸的食物摄入，及其对心血管健康可能存在的有害影响。