Fat in the Bloodstream (Photo : Twitter/@ClinicalTrialUK)
High levels of fat in the bloodstream, which is also known as hyperlipidemia, speeds up rejection during organ transplant, according to a study that involved mice as subjects
Tuffs University School of Medicine Professor John Iacomini conducted a trial that aimed to determine common causes of organ transplant rejection, according to Science Daily. The subjects in the study were clustered into four groups.
The first group involved mice with hyperlipidemia due to a genetic alteration of apolipoprotein E (ApoE), which were placed on a high-fat diet. The second group constituted healthy mice placed on a high-fat diet resulting to hyperlipidemia. Mice with hyperlipidemia secondary to genetic mutation of ApoE on a low-fat diet are in the third group. The fourth group of mice was on a low-fat diet.
The animal subjects were maintained on their high-fat or low-fat diet for four weeks prior to transplantation. Post-transplantation, the researchers kept the subjects with the same diet.
The study findings revealed that the mice that were on a high-fat diet had faster rate of heart transplant rejection that those that were fed with a low-fat diet, suggesting high-fat diet as the lead cause of transplant rejection in the subjects.
Iacomini's co-author Jin Yuan said that mice were used as subjects as they simulate the conditions in transplant clients. He added that while high fat levels in blood are typical in patients prior to transplantation, these can also be effects of medications, averting organ rejection.
According to Iacomini, his team's research work is pivotal on how scientists perceive transplant rejection, adding that hyperlipedimia has to be controlled, as per Medpage Today.
Also, Iacomini recommends that diet modification and application of treatment modalities that target specific cells are possible ways to prevent organ rejection caused by hyperlipidemia.
