title: Propionyl-L-carnitine prevents the progression of atherosclerotic lesions in aged hyperlipemic rabbits.
abstract: We have characterized the extent and the phenotype of total and proliferating cell population of aortic plaques in aged rabbits receiving a long-term low-dose cholesterol hyperlipemic diet, which represents an experimental model of atherosclerosis. For nine months, rabbits received the hypercholesterolemic diet alone or in addition to a treatment with propionyl-L-carnitine (PLC), a derivative of carnitine, an intramitochondrial carrier of fatty acids present in most cell types. We observed that, in both PLC-treated and control hyperlipemic rabbits, the ratio between proliferating macrophage-derived and smooth muscle cells was 2:1. PLC in addition to the hypercholesterolemic diet induced a marked lowering of plasma triglycerides, very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) and intermediate density lipoprotein (IDL) triglycerides, while plasma cholesterol was slightly and transiently reduced. Moreover, PLC-treated hyperlipemic rabbits exhibited a reduction of plaque thickness and extent, a slight but significant reduction of the percentage of macrophage-derived cells as compared to control hyperlipemic animals and a reduction of the number of both proliferating macrophage- and smooth muscle cell-derived foam cells. Finally, both proliferating and non-proliferating plaque cells expressed large amounts of macrophage colony-stimulating factor protein, in particular macrophage-derived foam cells. These results indicate that a modification of plasma lipemic pattern obtained by a long-term oral administration of PLC was associated with a decrease of plaque cell proliferation and severity of aortic atherosclerotic lesions.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Chirurgia, Universita Tor Vergata di Roma, Italia.
authors.forename: L G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Spagnoli
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Orlandi
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Marino
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mauriello
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: De Angelis
authors.forename: M T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Ramacci
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002331:Carnitine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D004032:Diet; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D005487:Foam Cells / Q000473:pathology*; D006949:Hyperlipidemias / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008079:Lipoproteins, VLDL / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000473:pathology*; D011817:Rabbits
chemical_list: D008079:Lipoproteins, VLDL; C003223:propionylcarnitine; D002331:Carnitine