Novel cerebrovascular pathology in mice fed a high cholesterol diet.
BACKGROUND
Hypercholesterolemia causes atherosclerosis in medium to large sized arteries. Cholesterol is less known for affecting the microvasculature and has not been previously reported to induce microvascular pathology in the central nervous system (CNS).


RESULTS
Mice with a null mutation in the low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) gene as well as C57BL/6J mice fed a high cholesterol diet developed a distinct microvascular pathology in the CNS that differs from cholesterol-induced atherosclerotic disease. Microvessel diameter was increased but microvascular density and length were not consistently affected. Degenerative changes and thickened vascular basement membranes were present ultrastructurally. The observed pathology shares features with the microvascular pathology of Alzheimer's disease (AD), including the presence of string-like vessels. Brain apolipoprotein E levels which have been previously found to be elevated in LDLR-/- mice were also increased in C57BL/6J mice fed a high cholesterol diet.


CONCLUSIONS
In addition to its effects as an inducer of atherosclerosis in medium to large sized arteries, hypercholesterolemia also induces a microvascular pathology in the CNS that shares features of the vascular pathology found in AD. These observations suggest that high cholesterol may induce microvascular disease in a range of CNS disorders including AD.
Franciosi
Sonia
S
Department of Psychiatry, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, One Gustave L Levy Place, New York, NY 10029, USA. gregory.elder@mssm.edu.
Gama Sosa
Miguel A
MA
English
Daniel F
DF
Oler
Elizabeth
E
Oung
Twethida
T
Janssen
William Gm
WG
De Gasperi
Rita
R
Schmeidler
James
J
Dickstein
Dara L
DL
Schmitz
Christoph
C
Gandy
Sam
S
Hof
Patrick R
PR
Buxbaum
Joseph D
JD
Elder
Gregory A
GA