Affects of folic acid on serum homocysteine and vascular endothelial growth factor in a coronary heart disease rat model

Objective To observe the effects of folic acid and vitamin B12 on serum homocysteine(HCY) and vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF) in a coronary heart disease rat model.Methods Totally 60 four-week-old healthy male SD rats [weighing(110±10)g] were divided randomly into normal control group,high-fat diet group,folic acid group,vitamin B12 group,and folic acid + vitamin B12 group.Normal feed was given to the normal control group while high-fat feed was given to the other groups.After 12 weeks,we determined the levels of serum lipid,HCY and VEGF in each rat.The histological changes of the abdominal aorta were examined with light and electron microscopes.The protein expression of VEGF in the aorta was measured by Western blot.Results After 12-week administration,folic acid alone or in combination with vitamin B12 effectively reduced serum HCY level in the coronary heart disease rat model(P0.01),increased serum VEGF level(P0.05),and changed VEGF protein expression(P0.05).Conclusion A high-fat diet can affect serum HCY and VEGF levels,and folic acid alone in combination with vitamin B12 can be used to improve or mitigate high-fat state caused by endothelial injury.