OBJECTIVETo observe the effect of diet-control only, diet-control with swimming training or with polysaccharide sulfate (PSS), a kind of blood lipid-lowering drug on the serum lipid level and vascular endothelial function in obese rats fed by fat-rich-diet.

METHODSForty Wistar rats were randomly divided into the following 5 groups: group F (n = 8), group N (n = 8), group A (n = 8), group B (n = 8) and group C (n = 8), where the rats were given fat-rich-diet, basic-diet, 12 weeks of diet-control after 8 weeks of fat-rich-diet, 12 weeks of diet-control with swimming training after 8 weeks of fat-rich-diet and 12 weeks of diet-control with PSS after 8 weeks of fat-rich-diet, respectively. All rats were sacrificed after 12 weeks of intervention. Then the levels of Lee index, serum total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), plasma endothelin (ET), nitric oxide (NO) and von Willebrand Factor (vWF) were measured. The protein expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) in artery endothelium was evaluated by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and the gene expression of ICAM-1 was examined by semi-quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).

RESULTSAfter the interventions for 12 weeks, the levels of serum TC, TG and ET decreased in group A (P < 0.05). The levels of Lee index, TC, TG, ET, vWF, ICAM-1 protein and ICAM-1 mRNA decreased in group B and C (P < 0.05). Three interventions increased serum NO production (P < 0.05) in group B.

CONCLUSIONSDiet-control could a meliorate the hyperlipidemia and vascular function. Diet-control with swimming training and diet-control with PSS could result in weight loss of rats and meliorate the hyperlipidemia, vascular endothelial function, coagulatory activities and adhesive dysfunction. The effects of diet-control with swimming on vascular endothelial function were prominent.