Effect of high fluoride and high fat on serum lipid levels and oxidative stress in rabbits

• High fluoride and high fat increased serum TC and LDL-C levels both individually and synergistically.
• High fat significantly elevated LPO and MDA levels and lowered T-AOC levels in serum of rabbits.
• High fluoride significantly increased LPO and MDA levels in serum of rabbits.

The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of high fluoride and high fat on triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), lipid peroxide (LPO) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in rabbits. A factorial experimental design was used, with two factors (fluoride and fat) and three levels. Seventy-two male rabbits were randomly assigned into nine groups according to initial weight and serum lipid levels. The rabbits were fed with basic feed, moderate fat feed or high fat feed and drank tap water, fluoridated water at levels of 50 and 100 mg fluorion/L freely. Biological materials were collected after 5 months, and serum lipid, T-AOC, LPO, and MDA levels were then measured. Using these data, the separate and interactive effects of high fluoride and high fat were analyzed. High fluoride and high fat both increased serum levels of TC, HDL-C and LDL-C significantly (P < 0.05), and there was also a synergistic effect between high fluoride and high fat (P < 0.05). High fluoride and high fat had different effects on TG levels: high fat significantly increased TG levels (P < 0.01) whereas high fluoride had nothing to do with TG levels (P > 0.05). High fat significantly elevated LPO and MDA levels and lowered T-AOC levels in serum (P < 0.05). Similarly, high fluoride significantly increased LPO and MDA levels in serum (P < 0.05). However, there was no interactive effect between high fat and high fluoride on these indexes. In summary, high fluoride and high fat increased serum TC and LDL-C levels individually and synergistically, and this would cause and aggravate hypercholesterolemia in rabbits. At the same time, high fluoride and high fat both made the accumulation of product of oxidative stress in experimental animals.