Effect of Dietary Cholesterol and Cholesterol Oxides on Blood Cholesterol, Lipids, and the Development of Atherosclerosis in Rabbits

Two studies were conducted to determine the effects of dietary cholesterol (CHO) and cholesterol oxides (COPs) on the development of atherosclerosis and the changes in fatty acid and blood characteristics in rabbits. In the first study, forty male New Zealand white rabbits were divided into 5 groups and fed commercial rabbit chow with no added CHO or COPs, 1 g CHO, 0.9 g CHO + 0.1 g COPs, 0.8 g CHO + 0.2 g COPs, or 0.5 g CHO + 0.5 g COPs per kg diet. In the second study, 24 male New Zealand White rabbits were divided into 3 groups and fed a diet containing 2 g CHO, 1.6 g CHO + 0.4 g COPs, or 1.2 g CHO + 0.8 g COPs per kg diet. All diets induced atherosclerotic lesions in the rabbits’ ascending thoracic aorta. The serum CHO and triglyceride levels (p < 0.05) increased significantly with the increased levels of CHO in the diets. Dietary CHO or COPs did not influence high-density lipoprotein CHO levels. The ratio of saturated fatty acid to unsaturated fatty acid increased as the level of dietary CHO and COPs increased.

[1]  F. Hu,et al.  Saturated Fatty Acids and Risk of Coronary Heart Disease: Modulation by Replacement Nutrients , 2010, Current atherosclerosis reports.

[2]  B. Geest,et al.  Correlation of atherosclerosis between different topographic sites is highly dependent on the type of hyperlipidemia , 2012, Heart and Vessels.

[3]  G. Chisolm,et al.  Roles of multiple oxidized LDL lipids in cellular injury: dominance of 7 beta-hydroperoxycholesterol. , 1996, Journal of lipid research.

[4]  M. Smit,et al.  Tibolone prevents atherosclerotic lesion formation in cholesterol-fed, ovariectomized rabbits. , 1998, Arteriosclerosis, thrombosis, and vascular biology.

[5]  K. Feingold,et al.  Oxidized cholesterol in the diet accelerates the development of aortic atherosclerosis in cholesterol-fed rabbits. , 1998, Arteriosclerosis, thrombosis, and vascular biology.

[6]  S. Grundy.  Monounsaturated fatty acids, plasma cholesterol, and coronary heart disease. , 1987, The American journal of clinical nutrition.

[7]  A. Sevanian,et al.  Characterization of endothelial cell injury by cholesterol oxidation products found in oxidized LDL. , 1995, Journal of lipid research.

[8]  R. Toes,et al.  Vaccination using oxidized low-density lipoprotein-pulsed dendritic cells reduces atherosclerosis in LDL receptor-deficient mice. , 2010, Cardiovascular research.

[9]  M. Boaz,et al.  Association of cholesterol oxidation and abnormalities in fatty acid metabolism in cystic fibrosis. , 2009, The American journal of clinical nutrition.

[10]  J. Sawyer,et al.  Dietary monounsaturated fatty acids promote aortic atherosclerosis in LDL receptor-null, human ApoB100-overexpressing transgenic mice. , 1998, Arteriosclerosis, thrombosis, and vascular biology.

[11]  M. Cybulsky,et al.  Increased oxidative stress in atherosclerosis-predisposed regions of the mouse aorta. , 2010, Life sciences.

[12]  J. Mehta,et al.  Increased angiotensin II type 1 receptor expression in hypercholesterolemic atherosclerosis in rabbits. , 1998, Arteriosclerosis, thrombosis, and vascular biology.

[13]  J. Martens,et al.  The relative atherogenicity of VLDL and LDL is dependent on the topographic site[S] , 2009, Journal of Lipid Research.

[14]  T. Nagem,et al.  Experimental atherosclerosis in rabbits. , 2010, Arquivos brasileiros de cardiologia.

[15]  A. Beynen,et al.  Lipid composition of erythrocytes isolated from cholesterol-fed rabbits , 1984 .

[16]  G. Poli,et al.  Cholesterol oxidation products in the vascular remodeling due to atherosclerosis. , 2009, Molecular aspects of medicine.

[17]  T. Kooistra,et al.  Anti-inflammatory salicylate beneficially modulates pre-existing atherosclerosis through quenching of NF-κB activity and lowering of cholesterol. , 2010, Atherosclerosis.

[18]  S. Taylor,et al.  Comparative atherogenic effects of cholesterol and cholesterol oxides. , 1986, Atherosclerosis.

[19]  I. Paik,et al.  Atherosclerosis, cholesterol and egg - Review - , 1996 .

[20]  J. Mehta,et al.  Oxidized LDL, a critical factor in atherogenesis. , 2005, Cardiovascular research.

[21]  K. Feingold,et al.  The role of dietary oxidized cholesterol and oxidized fatty acids in the development of atherosclerosis. , 2005, Molecular nutrition & food research.