Effects of nutrition on disease and life span. I. Immune responses, cardiovascular pathology, and life span in MRL mice.
Mice of the autoimmune, lymphoproliferative strain MRL/lpr and the congenic, nonlymphoproliferative strain MRL/n were fed one of six diets from weaning on-ward. These mice were sacrificed at 3 or 5 months of age. Low fat diets resulted in lower cholesterol and higher triglyceride levels than did cholesterol-containing high-fat diets. Caloric restriction of MRL/lpr mice was associated with an increased plaque-forming cell response to trinitrophenylated polyacrylamide beads, less lymphoproliferation, and less severe glomerulonephritis. Diet did not affect the incidence of autoimmune vasculitis in MRL/lpr mice sacrificed at 5 months. MRL/lpr mice fed a low-fat, calorically restricted diet from 5 months of age to death lived longer than mice which were fed ad libitum a cholesterol-containing, high-fat diet. At death, MRL/lpr mice fed the former diet had the autoimmune vasculitis which had been evident in mice killed at 5 months, whereas mice fed the latter diet, in addition to the vasculitis, had a high incidence of atherosclerotic lesions of intrarenal and aortic branch arteries.
D000824:Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D000818:Animals; D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear / Q000032:analysis; D000936:Antigen-Antibody Complex / Q000032:analysis; D001158:Arteries / Q000473:pathology; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D001798:Blood Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D002791:Cholesterol, Dietary / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D002149:Energy Intake; D005921:Glomerulonephritis / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D007668:Kidney / Q000473:pathology; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D008136:Longevity; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008817:Mice, Mutant Strains / Q000276:immunology*; D051381:Rats; D013154:Spleen / Q000473:pathology; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood; D014657:Vasculitis / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*
D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear; D000936:Antigen-Antibody Complex; D001798:Blood Proteins; D002791:Cholesterol, Dietary; D004041:Dietary Fats; D014280:Triglycerides; D002784:Cholesterol