Alpha-tocopherol supplementation favorable effects on blood pressure, blood viscosity and cardiac remodeling of spontaneously hypertensive rats

Spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) were separated into two groups (n=6 per group) and, since 5 months old, received alpha-tocopherol (alpha-tocopherol acetate120 IU) or vehicle by daily gavage for 2 weeks. Blood viscosity, blood pressure (BP) and myocardial remodeling were analyzed. The SHRs treated with alpha-tocopherol showed a significant reduction of BP and a major reduction of blood viscosity in comparison with the control SHRs. The cardiac hypertrophy indices showed some differences when the two SHR groups were compared, the LV mass index was not different between the groups; however, the cardiomyocyte size was more than 20% smaller in SHRs treated with alpha-tocopherol than in control SHRs (P<.05). The intramyocardial vessels distribution was more than 45% greater in alpha-tocopherol-treated SHRs than in control rats, significantly improving the vessels-to-myocytes ratio in treated SHRs than in control SHRs (P<.05). In conclusion, present findings strongly suggest a beneficial effect of alpha-tocopherol supplementation to genetically hypertensive rats. This was observed by a reduction of both blood viscosity and BP, and a consequent cardiomyocyte hypertrophy in treated SHRs; an improvement of vessels-to-myocytes ratio in these rats was also observed.