Histopathology of the heart from rats fed rapeseed oils.

The cardiopathogenicity of oils from new, low erucic acid (EA) rapeseed, Brassica napus, cv Tower (0.88 per cent EA) and Brassica napus, cv 1788 (3.6 per cent EA) were tested on rats following 18 weeks of feeding. Oil from Brassica napus, cv Target, with 38.9 per cent EA served as a positive control and corn oil as the negative control. Tower and 1788 rapeseed oils showed noticeable cardiopathogenicity, and a few mild lesions were also noted in the corn oil group. The main pathological change was from fresh to relatively old foci of myocardial necrosis. The presence of droplets accompanying the platelet aggregates suggested the possibility of their involvement in the development of the lesions. The pathological changes in the small and minute blood vessel walls were interpreted as one of the predisposing factors for the development of fatty embolism and subsequently of myocardial necrosis.