Comparison of the effects of feeding four different types of oils on serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels in rats

The effect of feeding different dietary oils on serum vascular endothelial growth factor levels in rats was investigated. Forty 50-day-old, male Sprague Dawley rats were divided randomly into four experimental groups. Each group was fed diets containing corn oil (CO), almond oil (AO), soybean oil (SO) or cottonseed oil (CSO). After a four-week experimental period, rats were sacrificed and sera were collected. Groups fed almond oil (252.92 +/- 17.9) and cottonseed oil (223.51 +/- 13.73) had higher serum VEGF concentration than the group fed corn oil (164.30 +/- 10.77) (p < 0.05). It is possible that the different components in the dietary oils such as fatty acid composition (MUFA and PUFA), nonsaponifiable fraction or tocopherol content, or a combination of all these may have affected the serum VEGF. Further research needs to be done to elucidate the factors and underlying mechanism affecting serum VEGF concentration in rats fed various dietary fats.