An: 2012, Nr.1, Articol Nr. 6

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      THE INFLUENCE OF BRANCHED AMINO ACIDS ON LDL-CHOLESTEROL LEVELS IN A MODEL OF EXPERIMENTAL ATHEROSCLEROSIS (Abstract): Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) represents a main lipid component involved in the development of atherosclerotic lesions. As the amount of LDL-cholesterol in the blood will increase, the risk of atherosclerosis progression will be higher. Aim: We aimed to highlight changes in plasma levels of LDL-cholesterol, in experimental animals with a high-fat diet, associated with some branched amino acids - valine and leucine. Material and methods: The experiment was realised on 32 male Wistar rats, which were divided in four groups: the first group received a standard diet; the second group: cholesterol (C), the third group: cholesterol and valine (C+V), the fourth group: cholesterol and leucine (C+L). The study was designed over a period of 60 days. The animals were evaluated in relation with LDL-cholesterol levels in the blood as following: at the beginning of the study (R0), after one month (R1) and at the end (R2). Results: The mean values of LDL-cholesterol in group who received only cholesterol (C) were significantly higher compared with group III that received cholesterol and valine (C+V) or group IV that received cholesterol and leucine (C+L) (p<0.001), after one month and also at the end of the experiment. At the end of the experiment, group III had mean LDL-cholesterol levels significantly lower than group IV (p<0.001). Conclusion: The results of our study showed that valine and leucine decreased the serum levels of LDL-cholesterol and therefore they are useful lipid-lowering agents, which can improve the endothelial disturbances associated with atherosclerotic disease. Valine seems to be more efficient than leucine in decreasing the LDL-cholesterol values.

Key words: VALINE, LEUCINE, LDL-CHOLESTEROL, ATHEROSCLEROSIS