This study was performed to determine plasma lipid changes and antioxidant status in relation to cholesterol content and fatty acid distribution in the aorta of rats after long-term ovariectomy (OV). After 12 months, OV induced in rat plasma a significant increase in glucose, total cholesterol, and triglycerides compared with the corresponding values for the control rats (C) of the same age (
p<0.0005,
p<0.005,
p<0.000S, respectively). These changes were associated with a significant increase in lipid peroxide level (
p<0.05) and a significant decrease in vitamin E in the plasma from group OV compared with the group C level (
p<0.0001). Conversely, OV after 7 and 12 months induced a significant increase in vitamin C (
p<0.001,
p<0.0001, respectively). Concerning plasma fatty acid distribution, after 12 months, OV caused a significant increase in gamma and dihomo gamma linolenic acid (
p<0.0005,
p<0.05, respectively). These changes were associated with a significant increase in aortic cholesterol in group OV (
p<0.0005), and a significant decrease in the percentage of arachidonic acid (
p<0.005) and of the total amount of fatty acids of the n-3 series (
p<0.0001) and plasmalogen fatty acids (C16:0,
p<0.005; C 18:0,
p<0.05) compared with the corresponding values for group C. These results show that OV induced, independently of any effects of aging, plasma-specific lipid alterations with dysregulation of oxidative status, which could be crucial in the development of atherothrombotic disease.
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