Chromium picolinate inhibits cholesterol induced stimulation of platelet aggregation in hypercholesterolemic rats

ABSTRACT

Hypercholesterolemia indirectly increases the risk of myocardial infarction by enhancing platelet aggregation. Chromium, has been shown to lower plasma lipids. The objective of this study was to investigate whether chromium inhibits platelet aggregation under normal and hypercholesterolemic conditions. White albino rats were divided into four groups control rats fed with a normolipemic diet [NLD group], chromium supplemented rats fed with NLD [NLD+Cr group], rats fed with a high fat diet [HF group], and chromium supplemented rats fed with HF [HF+Cr group]. After 10 weeks, blood was collected to determine ADP and collagen-induced platelet aggregation and plasma levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides [TG], HDL-C, apolipoprotein Al [Apo-A1], apolipoprotein B [Apo-B], and thromboxane B2 [TX B2]. LDL-C was calculated by Friedewald Formula. High fat diet animals [HF group] displayed significant elevation of plasma lipids and platelet aggregation which were normalized to control levels by chromium supplementation. Chromium supplementation in normolipemic [NLD+Cr] rats didn't produce significant changes in either plasma lipids or platelet activity. The results of the present study demonstrate that chromium supplementation to hypercholesterolemic rats returns cholesterol induced platelet aggregation to control levels. This normalization is mostly due to a reduction in plasma cholesterol level