Donate Help Contact The AHA Sign In Home
American Heart Association
Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology
Search: search_blue_button Advanced Search
Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology. 1993;13:84-89

This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Schick, P. K.
Right arrow Articles by Walker, J.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Schick, P. K.
Right arrow Articles by Walker, J.

Arteriosclerosis and Thrombosis, Vol 13, 84-89, Copyright © 1993 by American Heart Association


ARTICLES

The effects of olive oil, hydrogenated palm oil, and omega-3 fatty acid- enriched diets on megakaryocytes and platelets

PK Schick, CM Wojenski and J Walker
Cardeza Foundation for Hematologic Research, Jefferson Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pa 19107-5099.

Unsaturated fatty acids are thought to prevent thrombotic and arteriosclerotic disease, whereas saturated fatty acids are thought to increase the incidence of these disorders. However, the effects of these diets on megakaryocytes and platelets are not well understood. We compared the effects of diets enriched with 8.4% olive oil, 8.4% hydrogenated palm oil, or 10.2% omega-3 fatty acid ethyl esters on guinea pig megakaryocytes and platelets. In plasma, changes in fatty acid composition reflected the composition of each diet. However, in platelets and megakaryocytes, hydrogenated palm oil induced a decrease in 16:0 and an increase in 18:2 while the olive oil diet caused a marked increase in 18:1 and a decrease in most other fatty acids. The differences in the effects of the diets on cellular versus plasma fatty acids suggest that megakaryocytes and platelets have an extensive capacity to regulate their fatty acid composition. Thrombocytosis occurred with the omega-3 fatty acid-enriched diet: 12.9 +/- 1.78 x 10(5) compared with 7.45 +/- 1.08 x 10(5) platelets per microliter of platelet-rich plasma in control animals. There was an increase in megakaryocyte size, ploidy, and morphological stage (cytoplasmic maturation) with the omega-3 fatty acid-enriched diet but not with the other diets. The omega-3 fatty acid-enriched diet decreased platelet thromboxane production while the other diets had no effect. Platelet hypersensitivity was suggested in collagen aggregation studies with olive oil but not with the hydrogenated palm oil diet. Although saturated fatty acid diets are thought to be atherogenic, this diet had no affect on platelet function.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)