Discipline: Biological Sciences
Subcategory: Cell and Molecular Biology
Beatrice Mbaluka - Oakwood University
Omega 6 poly unsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) are proinflammatory where are as Omega 3 poly unsaturated fatty acids are cardio-protective and anti-inflammatory. The recommended Omega 6 to Omega 3 ratio is 3:1 however the average ratio in American diets is 10:1-20:1 and in the Black belt area the average of the ratio is 25:1. As a result the Black Belt area has a very high incidence of Hypertension which is characterized by Cardiac Hypertrophy and an up-regulation of the Renin -Angiotensin System. Hypertension is one of the major contributors for Cardiovascular disease which is the leading cause of death in America. Therefore our lab studied how different ratios of Omega 6 to Omega 3 would affect cardiac hypertrophy and the cardio-protective axis of the RAS system. We hypothesized that decreasing the Omega 6 to Omega 3 PUFA will prevent the development of cardiac hypertrophy and increase Cardiac ACE2/Ang1-7/MasR Axis of the ReninAngiotensin-System in a Spontaneously Hypertensive Rat (SHR). Cardiac hypertrophy was measured by weighing the hearts on a scale. To characterize the cardiac ACE2/Ang1-7/MasR protein expression, we performed western blots. The rats that were fed Omega 6 to Omega 3 in a 25:1 ratio had heavier hearts compared to those with a 3:1 and 1:3 ratio indicating hypertrophy. In addition, animals fed the 1:3 diet had a decrease in Blood Pressure and there was an increase in ACE 2 expression in the 25:1 group. We concluded that the subjects that were fed Omega 6 to Omega 3 in a 1:3 ratio had significantly lower Blood pressure, adding Collard Greens to the diet of 25:1 Omega 6 to Omega 3 PUFA significantly decreases Blood Pressure as well and ACE 2 expression increases with an increase in Omega 6 PUFA as a cardio-protective mechanism.
Funder Acknowledgement(s): Howard Hughes Faculty Fellowship, RCMI: G12MD007585-23, NSF-REU program
Faculty Advisor: Chastity Bradford,