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Chen J, Jamaiyar A, Wu W, Hu Y, Zhuang R, Sausen G, Cheng HS, de Oliveira Vaz C, Pérez-Cremades D, Tzani A, McCoy MG, Assa C, Eley S, Randhawa V, Lee K, Plutzky J, Hamburg NM, Sabatine MS, Feinberg MW. Deficiency of lncRNA MERRICAL abrogates macrophage chemotaxis and diabetes-associated atherosclerosis. Cell Rep 2024; 43:113815. [PMID: 38428421 PMCID: PMC11006532 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.113815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2023] [Revised: 01/18/2024] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 03/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Diabetes-associated atherosclerosis involves excessive immune cell recruitment and plaque formation. However, the mechanisms remain poorly understood. Transcriptomic analysis of the aortic intima in Ldlr-/- mice on a high-fat, high-sucrose-containing (HFSC) diet identifies a macrophage-enriched nuclear long noncoding RNA (lncRNA), MERRICAL (macrophage-enriched lncRNA regulates inflammation, chemotaxis, and atherosclerosis). MERRICAL expression increases by 249% in intimal lesions during progression. lncRNA-mRNA pair genomic mapping reveals that MERRICAL positively correlates with the chemokines Ccl3 and Ccl4. MERRICAL-deficient macrophages exhibit lower Ccl3 and Ccl4 expression, chemotaxis, and inflammatory responses. Mechanistically, MERRICAL guides the WDR5-MLL1 complex to activate CCL3 and CCL4 transcription via H3K4me3 modification. MERRICAL deficiency in HFSC diet-fed Ldlr-/- mice reduces lesion formation by 74% in the aortic sinus and 86% in the descending aorta by inhibiting leukocyte recruitment into the aortic wall and pro-inflammatory responses. These findings unveil a regulatory mechanism whereby a macrophage-enriched lncRNA potently inhibits chemotactic responses, alleviating lesion progression in diabetes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingshu Chen
- Cardiovascular Division, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Anurag Jamaiyar
- Cardiovascular Division, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Winona Wu
- Cardiovascular Division, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Yi Hu
- Cardiovascular Division, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Rulin Zhuang
- Cardiovascular Division, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200120, China
| | - Grasiele Sausen
- Cardiovascular Division, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Henry S Cheng
- Cardiovascular Division, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Camila de Oliveira Vaz
- Cardiovascular Division, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Daniel Pérez-Cremades
- Cardiovascular Division, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Physiology, University of Valencia and INCLIVA Biomedical Research Institute, 46010 Valencia, Spain
| | - Aspasia Tzani
- Cardiovascular Division, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Michael G McCoy
- Cardiovascular Division, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Carmel Assa
- Cardiovascular Division, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Samuel Eley
- Cardiovascular Division, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Vinay Randhawa
- Cardiovascular Division, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Kwangwoon Lee
- Division of Genetics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Jorge Plutzky
- Cardiovascular Division, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Naomi M Hamburg
- Evans Department of Medicine and Whitaker Cardiovascular Institute, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118, USA
| | - Marc S Sabatine
- Cardiovascular Division, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Mark W Feinberg
- Cardiovascular Division, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
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Hanssen NMJ, Kraakman MJ, Flynn MC, Nagareddy PR, Schalkwijk CG, Murphy AJ. Postprandial Glucose Spikes, an Important Contributor to Cardiovascular Disease in Diabetes? Front Cardiovasc Med 2020; 7:570553. [PMID: 33195459 PMCID: PMC7530333 DOI: 10.3389/fcvm.2020.570553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2020] [Accepted: 08/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Clinical trials investigating whether glucose lowering treatment reduces the risk of CVD in diabetes have thus far yielded mixed results. However, this doesn't rule out the possibility of hyperglycemia playing a major causal role in promoting CVD or elevating CVD risk. In fact, lowering glucose appears to promote some beneficial long-term effects, and continuous glucose monitoring devices have revealed that postprandial spikes of hyperglycemia occur frequently, and may be an important determinant of CVD risk. It is proposed that these short, intermittent bursts of hyperglycemia may have detrimental effects on several organ systems including the vasculature and the hematopoietic system collectively contributing to the state of elevated CVD risk in diabetes. In this review, we summarize the potential mechanisms through which hyperglycemic spikes may increase atherosclerosis and how new and emerging interventions may combat this.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nordin M J Hanssen
- Diabetes Centre, Amsterdam University Medical Centre, Amsterdam, Netherlands.,Department of Internal Medicine, CARIM, School of Cardiovascular Diseases, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
| | - Michael J Kraakman
- Haematopoiesis and Leukocyte Biology, Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Michelle C Flynn
- Haematopoiesis and Leukocyte Biology, Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Prabhakara R Nagareddy
- Division of Cardiac Surgery, Department of Surgery, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States
| | - Casper G Schalkwijk
- Department of Internal Medicine, CARIM, School of Cardiovascular Diseases, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
| | - Andrew J Murphy
- Haematopoiesis and Leukocyte Biology, Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,Department of Immunology, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
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Al-Mashhadi RH, Bjørklund MM, Mortensen MB, Christoffersen C, Larsen T, Falk E, Bentzon JF. Diabetes with poor glycaemic control does not promote atherosclerosis in genetically modified hypercholesterolaemic minipigs. Diabetologia 2015; 58:1926-36. [PMID: 26026653 DOI: 10.1007/s00125-015-3637-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2015] [Accepted: 04/27/2015] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
AIMS/HYPOTHESIS Diabetes is associated with an increased risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, but whether there is a direct and independent role for impaired glucose control in atherogenesis remains uncertain. We investigated whether diabetes with poor glycaemic control would accelerate atherogenesis in a novel pig model of atherosclerosis, the D374Y-PCSK9(+) transgenic minipig. METHODS Nineteen minipigs were fed a cholesterol-enriched, high-fat diet; ten of these pigs were injected with streptozotocin to generate a model of diabetes. Restricted feeding was implemented to control the pigs' weight gain and cholesterol intake. After 49 weeks of high-fat feeding, the major arteries were harvested for a detailed analysis of the plaque burden and histological plaque type. RESULTS Stable hyperglycaemia was achieved in the diabetic minipigs, while the plasma total and LDL-cholesterol and creatinine levels were unaffected. Diabetes failed to increase atherosclerosis in any of the vessels examined. The plaque burden in the aorta and right coronary artery was comparable between the groups, and was even reduced in the left anterior descending (LAD) coronary and iliofemoral arteries in the diabetic pigs compared with the controls. The distribution of plaque types and the collagen and macrophage contents were similar between the groups, except for a reduced infiltration of macrophages in the LAD arteries of the diabetic pigs. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION Poorly controlled diabetes with no alterations in plasma cholesterol or creatinine concentrations did not augment the plaque burden or promote the development of more advanced lesions in this large-animal model of human-like atherosclerosis. This is consistent with clinical studies in patients with type 1 diabetes, indicating that hyperglycaemia per se is not an independent promoter of atherosclerotic disease, but that other diabetes-associated risk factors are important.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rozh H Al-Mashhadi
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Palle Juul-Jensens Boulevard 99, 8200, Aarhus N, Denmark,
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Johnson LA, Kim HS, Knudson MJ, Nipp CT, Yi X, Maeda N. Diabetic atherosclerosis in APOE*4 mice: synergy between lipoprotein metabolism and vascular inflammation. J Lipid Res 2013; 54:386-96. [PMID: 23204275 PMCID: PMC3588868 DOI: 10.1194/jlr.m031435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2012] [Revised: 11/29/2012] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Diabetes is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. To examine how diabetes interacts with a mildly compromised lipid metabolism, we introduced the diabetogenic Ins2(C96Y/+) (Akita) mutation into mice expressing human apoE4 (E4) combined with either an overexpressing human LDL receptor gene (hLDLR) or the wild-type mouse gene. The hLDLR allele caused 2-fold reductions in plasma HDL-cholesterol, plasma apoA1, and hepatic triglyceride secretion. Diabetes increased plasma total cholesterol 1.3-fold and increased apoB48 secretion 3-fold, while reducing triglyceride secretion 2-fold. Consequently, diabetic E4 mice with hLDLR secrete increased numbers of small, cholesterol-enriched, apoB48-containing VLDL, although they have near normal plasma cholesterol (<120 mg/dl). Small foam cell lesions were present in the aortic roots of all diabetic E4 mice with hLDLR that we analyzed at six months of age. None were present in nondiabetic mice or in diabetic mice without hLDLR. Aortic expression of genes affecting leukocyte recruitment and adhesion was enhanced by diabetes. ApoA1 levels, but not diabetes, were strongly correlated with the ability of plasma to efflux cholesterol from macrophages. We conclude that the diabetes-induced proinflammatory changes in the vasculature and the hLDLR-mediated cholesterol accumulation in macrophages synergistically trigger atherosclerosis in mice with human apoE4, although neither alone is sufficient.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lance A. Johnson
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Hyung-Suk Kim
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Melissa J. Knudson
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - C. Taylor Nipp
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Xianwen Yi
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Nobuyo Maeda
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
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DPP-4 (CD26) inhibitor alogliptin inhibits atherosclerosis in diabetic apolipoprotein E-deficient mice. J Cardiovasc Pharmacol 2011; 58:157-66. [PMID: 21558879 DOI: 10.1097/fjc.0b013e31821e5626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 115] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4 or CD26) inhibitors, a new class of antidiabetic compounds, are effective in the treatment of hyperglycemia. Because atherosclerosis-related cardiovascular diseases are the major complications of diabetes, it is important to determine the effect of DPP-4 inhibitors on atherosclerosis. In this study, nondiabetic and diabetic apolipoprotein E-deficient mice were treated with DPP-4 inhibitor alogliptin for 24 weeks, and atherosclerotic lesions in aortic origins were examined. Results showed that diabetes significantly increased atherosclerotic lesions, but alogliptin treatment reduced atherosclerotic lesions in diabetic mice. Metabolic studies showed that diabetes increased plasma glucose and that alogliptin treatment reduced glucose. Furthermore, immunohistochemistry study showed that diabetes increased interleukin-6 (IL-6) and IL-1β protein expression in atherosclerotic plaques, but alogliptin treatment attenuated diabetes-augmented IL-6 and IL-1β expression. In consistence with the observations from the mouse models, our in vitro studies showed that alogliptin-inhibited toll-like receptor 4 (TLR-4)-mediated upregulation of IL-6, IL-1β, and other proinflammatory cytokines by mononuclear cells. Taken together, our findings showed that alogliptin-inhibited atherosclerosis in diabetic apolipoprotein E-deficient mice and that the actions of alogliptin on both glucose and inflammation may contribute to the inhibition.
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Rawat MK, Jain A, Singh S. Studies on Binary Lipid Matrix Based Solid Lipid Nanoparticles of Repaglinide: in Vitro and in Vivo Evaluation. J Pharm Sci 2011; 100:2366-78. [DOI: 10.1002/jps.22435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2010] [Revised: 08/20/2010] [Accepted: 11/18/2010] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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Rawat MK, Jain A, Singh S. In Vivo and Cytotoxicity Evaluation of Repaglinide-Loaded Binary Solid Lipid Nanoparticles After Oral Administration to Rats. J Pharm Sci 2011; 100:2406-17. [DOI: 10.1002/jps.22454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2010] [Revised: 11/01/2010] [Accepted: 12/02/2010] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
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Huang PH, Tsai HY, Wang CH, Chen YH, Chen JS, Lin FY, Lin CP, Wu TC, Sata M, Chen JW, Lin SJ. Moderate intake of red wine improves ischemia-induced neovascularization in diabetic mice—Roles of endothelial progenitor cells and nitric oxide. Atherosclerosis 2010; 212:426-35. [DOI: 10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2010.06.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2010] [Revised: 06/15/2010] [Accepted: 06/15/2010] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Johnson LA, Maeda N. Macrovascular complications of diabetes in atherosclerosisprone mice. Expert Rev Endocrinol Metab 2010; 5:89-98. [PMID: 30934383 DOI: 10.1586/eem.09.66] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
The well-established relationship between diabetes and cardiovascular complications, combined with the rapidly increasing prevalence of diabetes, has created a pressing need for better understanding of the mechanisms of diabetic atherosclerosis. Multiple metabolic and diabetes-specific factors have been associated with accelerated atherosclerosis, including dyslipidemia, oxidative stress, inflammation, vascular cell dysfunction and coagulopathy. This discussion highlights selected studies in which researchers have employed mouse models of diabetic atherosclerosis in an attempt to examine these mechanisms and test potential therapeutic and preventative measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lance A Johnson
- a Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7525, USA.
| | - Nobuyo Maeda
- b Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7525, USA.
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Hsueh W, Abel ED, Breslow JL, Maeda N, Davis RC, Fisher EA, Dansky H, McClain DA, McIndoe R, Wassef MK, Rabadán-Diehl C, Goldberg IJ. Recipes for creating animal models of diabetic cardiovascular disease. Circ Res 2007; 100:1415-27. [PMID: 17525381 DOI: 10.1161/01.res.0000266449.37396.1f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 171] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
For more than 50 years, investigators have unsuccessfully tried to recreate in experimental animals the cardiovascular complications of diabetes seen in humans. In particular, accelerated atherosclerosis and dilated cardiomyopathy, the major causes of mortality in patients with diabetes, have been conspicuously absent in many mouse models of the disease. Under the auspices of the NIH, the Animal Models of Diabetic Complications Consortium has worked to address this issue. This effort has focused on the development of mouse models because of the high level of genomic information available and the many well-developed genetic manipulations that may be performed in mice. Importantly, the consortium has also worked to standardize many methods to assess metabolic and cardiovascular end points for measurement of the diabetic state and its macrovascular complications. Finally, for maximum benefits from these animal models in the study of atherosclerosis and of other diabetic complications, the consortium has created a system for sharing both the animal models and the accumulated phenotypic data with the greater scientific community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Willa Hsueh
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Hypertension, The David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Wu KK, Huan Y. Diabetic atherosclerosis mouse models. Atherosclerosis 2006; 191:241-9. [PMID: 16979174 DOI: 10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2006.08.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2006] [Revised: 07/20/2006] [Accepted: 08/14/2006] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Coronary heart disease (CHD) due to atherosclerosis is the leading cause of death in the USA, and accelerated CHD has emerged as a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in diabetic patients in the USA and worldwide. This has highlighted the importance and urgency of studying the mechanism of diabetic atherosclerosis and exploring therapeutic options. Due to its unique advantages over other animal models, the mouse is the most used model for studying the mechanism of diabetes-accelerated atherosclerosis and exploring effective therapeutic approaches. In the past decade, several diabetic atherosclerosis mouse models have been established. Currently, however, there is no ideal animal model for diabetic atherosclerosis. To determine the characteristics of the models that more closely resemble human diabetic atherosclerosis disease, this review focuses on the common diabetic atherosclerosis mouse models with respect to the following issues: (1) whether the mice retain diabetic condition; (2) whether the diabetes accelerates atherosclerosis or increases atherogenic inflammation; (3) whether these factors respond to medical interventions. The discussion is aimed at identifying different diabetic mouse models and their features, in order to heighten awareness of the appropriate models that may provide useful tools for studying the mechanism of diabetes-accelerated atherosclerosis and evaluating therapeutic options.
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MESH Headings
- Aldehyde Reductase/genetics
- Aldehyde Reductase/metabolism
- Animals
- Apolipoproteins E/deficiency
- Apolipoproteins E/genetics
- Atherosclerosis/chemically induced
- Atherosclerosis/etiology
- Atherosclerosis/genetics
- Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental/chemically induced
- Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental/complications
- Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1/chemically induced
- Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1/complications
- Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1/genetics
- Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/complications
- Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/etiology
- Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/genetics
- Diabetic Angiopathies/chemically induced
- Diabetic Angiopathies/etiology
- Diabetic Angiopathies/genetics
- Dietary Carbohydrates/administration & dosage
- Dietary Fats/administration & dosage
- Disease Models, Animal
- Humans
- Mice
- Mice, Inbred C57BL
- Mice, Knockout
- Mice, Transgenic
- Receptors, LDL/deficiency
- Receptors, LDL/genetics
- Streptozocin
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth K Wu
- Department of Cardiovascular Disease, Merck Research Laboratories, RY 80W-250, 126 East Lincoln Avenue, Rahway, NJ 07065, USA.
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Wu L, Vikramadithyan R, Yu S, Pau C, Hu Y, Goldberg IJ, Dansky HM. Addition of dietary fat to cholesterol in the diets of LDL receptor knockout mice: effects on plasma insulin, lipoproteins, and atherosclerosis. J Lipid Res 2006; 47:2215-22. [PMID: 16840797 DOI: 10.1194/jlr.m600146-jlr200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The factors underlying cardiovascular risk in patients with diabetes have not been clearly elucidated. Efforts to study this in mice have been hindered because the usual atherogenic diets that contain fat and cholesterol also lead to obesity and insulin resistance. We compared plasma glucose, insulin, and atherosclerotic lesion formation in LDL receptor knockout (Ldlr(-/-)) mice fed diets with varying fat and cholesterol content that induced similar lipoprotein profiles. Ldlr(-/-) mice fed a high-fat diet developed obesity, mild hyperglycemia, hyperinsulinemia, and hypertriglyceridemia. Quantitative and qualitative assessments of atherosclerosis were unchanged in diabetic Ldlr(-/-) mice fed a high-fat diet compared with lean nondiabetic control mice after 20 weeks of diet. Although one group of mice fed diets for 40 weeks had larger lesions at the aortic root, this was associated with a more atherogenic lipoprotein profile. The presence of a human aldose reductase transgene had no effect on atherosclerosis in fat-fed Ldlr(-/-) mice with mild diabetes. Our data suggest that when lipoprotein profiles are similar, addition of fat to a cholesterol-rich diet does not increase atherosclerotic lesion formation in Ldlr(-/-) mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lan Wu
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
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