Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Fish oil cuts risk of vagal atrial fibrillation in dogs
By Sarrazin, Jean-Francois et al.·Published in Journal of the American College of Cardiology·2007·Institut Universitaire de Cardiologie et Pneumologie, Canada·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Reduced incidence of vagally induced atrial fibrillation and expression levels of connexins by n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs was given fish oil daily for two weeks to see if it could help prevent a type of irregular heartbeat called atrial fibrillation (AF). The dogs that received the fish oil showed a significant decrease in the incidence of AF compared to those that did not, with a 79% reduction in one test. The study also found that the fish oil treatment lowered certain proteins in the heart tissue that are linked to AF. Overall, the dogs that took fish oil were less likely to experience AF, suggesting that fish oil can be beneficial for heart health in dogs.
People also search for: dog heart problems treatment · fish oil for dog atrial fibrillation · how to prevent dog arrhythmia
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: This open-label canine study assessed whether n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) prevent vagally induced atrial fibrillation (AF) and influence atrial tissue expression levels of connexins (CXs). BACKGROUND: n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in fish oils protect against sudden cardiac death and reduce postoperative AF. Changes in spatial organization of gap junctions or cellular CX levels have been linked to arrhythmogenesis. METHODS: Vagally induced AF was studied. Eight dogs were given fish oil daily for 14 days. Eight control dogs had reproducibly induced AF and were re-evaluated after intravenous administration of fish oil. Atrial fibrillation was compared, and n-3 PUFA, CX40, and CX43 protein levels were assessed in atrial biopsies. RESULTS: Atrial tissue n-3 PUFA levels increased in oral treatment dogs (5.78 +/- 0.71% vs. 2.49 +/- 0.46% in control animals, p < 0.001). No difference was observed for atrial refractory periods or hemodynamic or electrocardiographic parameters. Incidence of AF in oral treatment dogs decreased 79% with the extra stimulus technique (10.5% vs. 48.9%, p = 0.003) and 42% with burst induction (22.5% vs. 38.8%, p = 0.038). Both CX40 and CX43 levels were lower in oral treatment dogs (60% [p = 0.019] and 42% [p = 0.038] lower, respectively); protection against AF was mostly related to reduced CX40 expression levels (p = 0.02). In dogs that were given intravenous n-3 PUFAs, AF inducibility by the extra stimulus technique was reduced from 75.0% to 28.6% (p = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Oral treatment with fish oils increased atrial n-3 PUFA levels and reduced vulnerability to induction of AF in this dog model. Modulation of cardiac CX by n-3 PUFAs probably contributes to the antiarrhythmic effects of fish oils.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17919572/