Effect of Vitamin E on Apoptosis of the Endothelial Cells of the Carotid Arteries inHypercholesterolemic Male Rabbits

Introduction: cardiovascular disease is the principal cause of mortality and morbidity in developedcountries, leading to the formation of atherosclerosis plaques and thrombosis. apoptosis of endothelial cellsis one of the primary factors in vascular thrombosis. lipids, when oxidized by endothelial cells, result inan increased thickness of the arterial wall. iron is also recognized as an atherogenic element that inducesatherosclerosis. there remains uncertainty about the antioxidative role of vitamin e in the formation ofatherosclerosis. in this study, the authors evaluated the effect of iron and vitamin e on the apoptosis ofendothelial cells in the carotid arteries of hypercholesterolemic male rabbits.method: thirty white male rabbits were randomly divided into five groups and fed the following dietfor six weeks: group 1: control, group 2: cholesterol (1%), group 3: cholesterol (1%) + vitamin e (50 mg/kg), group 4: cholesterol (1%) + iron (50 mg/kg), and group 5: cholesterol (1%) + vitamin e (50 mg/kg)+ iron (50 mg/kg). serum cholesterol, tg, hdl, and ldl levels were assessed after six weeks. finally, theanimals were sacrificed with ketamine, and carotid arteries were removed. the samples were fixed in 10%formalin, and tunel staining was used after the tissue processing. cell counts were carried out under alight microscope.results: vitamin e decreased serum cholesterol and apoptotic endothelial cells in the hypercholesterolemic+ vitamin e diet (p< 0.05). however, they increased significantly in the interference groups compared to thecontrol group (p< 0.05).conclusion: according to our findings, vitamin e showed to have a beneficial effect on preventingcardiovascular diseases and may play a positive role in the prevention of atherosclerosis.