Spontaneous atherosclerosis in the proximal aorta of LPA transgenic mice on a normal diet.
Serum levels of Lp(a) lipoprotein are under genetic control and a high level is a risk factor for atherosclerotic disease. We have examined the aorta of LPA transgenic mice and their non-transgenic litter mates who had all been given a regular, not lipid fortified diet. When sacrificed, the animals had an average age of 66 weeks. Lipid lesions were observed in the aorta of 13 out of 18 LPA transgenic mice and in five out of 21 non-transgenic animals. The difference is statistically significant. We conclude that LPA transgenic mice develop lipid lesions in aorta more frequently than non-transgenic animals, even on a diet with a low fat content. LPA transgenic mice on a normal diet could be a useful animal model for the study of spontaneous human atherosclerosis, its treatment and prevention.
Berg
Kåre
K
Institute of Medical Genetics, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1036, Blindern, NO-0315 Oslo, Norway. kare.berg@ioks.uio.no
Svindland
Aud
A
Smith
Adrian J
AJ
Lawn
Richard M
RM
Djurovic
Srdjan
S
Aleström
Annette
A
Aleström
Peter
P
Eliassen
Knut
K
D000818:Animals; D001013:Aorta, Thoracic / Q000473:pathology*; D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology*; D001483:Base Sequence; D046508:Culture Techniques; D004247:DNA / Q000032:analysis; D004032:Diet; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D017270:Lipoprotein(a) / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011336:Probability; D012016:Reference Values; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
D017270:Lipoprotein(a); D004247:DNA