Alterations of aorta intima and media transcriptome in swine fed high-fat diet over one-year follow-up period and of the switch to normal diet

Abstract Objectives We previously showed that 12 months high-fat diet (HFD) in pigs led to fattening and increased artery intima-media-thickness, which were partly reversed after 3mo return to control diet (CD). The aim of this study was to decipher underlying mechanism of action by using transcriptomic analyses of intima and media of aorta. Methods 32 pigs were divided into 3 groups: CD for 12mo; HFD for 12mo; switch diet group (RD): HFD for 9mo followed by CD for 3mo. After 12mo, RNA was isolated from aorta intima and media for nutrigenomic analyses. Results HFD significantly affected gene expression in intima while RD gene expression profile was distinct from the CD group. This suggests that switch to CD is not sufficient to correct gene expression alterations induced by HFD but counter-acted expression of a group of genes. HFD also affected gene expression in media and as for intima, the expression profile of media of pigs on RD differed from that of these on CD diet. Conclusions This study revealed nutrigenomic modifications induced by long-term HFD consumption on arterial intima and media. The return to control diet was not sufficient to counteract the genomic effect of HFD.