The relationship between the degree of dietary-induced hypercholesterolemia in the rabbit and atherosclerotic lesion formation

Increased Angiotensin II Type 1 Receptor Expression in Hypercholesterolemic Atherosclerosis in Rabbits

“…A rabbit chow containing 1% cholesterol and 4% coconut oil diet was chosen because other investigators have demonstrated that when given for a period of 10 to 12 weeks, it results in marked elevation in serum cholesterol and induction of diffuse, aortic atherosclerosis. [11][12][13] At the end of the 10-week dietary intervention, food was withdrawn for 12 hours, and the rabbits were weighed and then anesthetized with intravenous sodium pentobarbital (50 mg/kg). Venous blood samples were obtained for measurement of serum cholesterol, and aortas were excised for examination of atherosclerotic area (aorta), Ang II receptor binding, and determination of vasoreactivity.…”

“…10 Feeding of a high-cholesterol diet to rabbits often results in hypercholesterolemia and atherosclerosis. 11 Al-though the extent of atherosclerosis in different blood vessels of rabbits fed a high-cholesterol diet varies significantly, this model has been used extensively to study pathogenetic aspects of atherosclerosis and its modulation by various agents. [11][12][13] The current study was designed to examine Ang II receptor expression in vascular tissues and its relationship with vasoreactivity and atherogenesis in a rabbit model of atherosclerosis induced by feeding of a high-cholesterol diet.…”

Animal models for the atherosclerosis research: a review

“…The normal range of plasma cholesterol in the New Zealand white rabbit is low (average = 1.3 mmol/L) (Finking and Hanke, 1997), but plasma cholesterol can increase two-to eight-fold within the first 20 days after the administration of a cholesterol-rich diet (Bocan et al, 1993). The atherosclerotic lesions are characterized by an increase in leukocyte immigration, endothelial penetration, and the formation of macrophagederived foam cells in the intima of the large conduit arteries (especially the aortic arch and thoracic aorta), which are similar to human fatty streaks at the early stage of the lesions.…”

“…Indeed, different amounts of cholesterol in the diet (Bocan et al, 1993;Kolodgie et al, 1996), with or without a combination of oils (Kolodgie et al, 1996;Yanni et al, 2003) and specific proteins (Kritchevsky et al, 1977;West et al, 1982;Kritchevsky, 1995), as well as various durations of experimental studies (Hunt and Duncan, 1985;Rogers and Karnovsky, 1988), have been used to cause different types of lesions in arteries. A long-duration, low-cholesterol diet causes atherosclerotic lesions with smooth muscle cell penetration and cholesterol deposition, which are similar to that observed in human lesions (Kolodgie et al, 1996).…”

Importância da relação dos ácidos graxos omega-6/omega-3 na alimentação

“…A extensão e o tipo da lesão aterosclerótica em coelhos são proporcionais à concentração do colesterol plasmático (BOCAN et al, 1993). No presente estudo, observa-se também que o desequilíbrio tanto em ácidos graxos n-6 como em n-3 contribuíram para a formação das placas.…”