Hypercholesterolemia in pregnant mice increases the susceptibility to atherosclerosis in adult life.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the effects of hypercholesterolemia in pregnant mice on the susceptibility to atherosclerosis in adult life through a new animal modeling approach.


METHODS
Male offspring from apoE-/- mice fed with regular (R) or high (H) cholesterol chow during pregnancy were randomly subjected to regular (Groups R-R and H-R, n = 10) or high cholesterol diet (Groups R-H and H-H, n = 10) for 14 weeks. Plasma lipid profiles were determined in all rats. The abdominal aorta was examined for the severity of atherosclerotic lesions in offspring.


RESULTS
Lipids significantly increased while high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol/low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol decreased in mothers fed high cholesterol chow after delivery compared with before pregnancy (p < 0.01). Groups R-H and H-R indicated dyslipidemia and significant atherosclerotic lesions. Group H-H demonstrated the highest lipids, lowest high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol/low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, highest incidence (90%), plaque area to luminal area ratio (0.78 ± 0.02) and intima to media ratio (1.57 ± 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Hypercholesterolemia in pregnant mice may increase susceptibility to atherosclerosis in their adult offspring.
Department of Laboratory Animal Science, College of Basic Medicine, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, People's Republic of China Department of Clinical Laboratory, No. 324 Hospital of Chinese People's Liberation Army, Chongqing, 400020, China.
Cai-Hong
CH
Xie
Department of Life Science, Southwest College, Chongqing, People's Republic of China.
Lei
L
Zhang
Department of Laboratory Animal Science, College of Basic Medicine, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, People's Republic of China.
Ben-Hua
BH
Zeng
Department of Laboratory Animal Science, College of Basic Medicine, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, People's Republic of China.
Jing
J
Yuan
Department of Laboratory Animal Science, College of Basic Medicine, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, People's Republic of China Institute of Cultural Relic Conservation Science and Technology, China Three Gorges Museum, Chongqing, People's Republic of China.
Huan
H
Tang
Department of Laboratory Animal Science, College of Basic Medicine, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, People's Republic of China weihong63528@163.com.
Hong
H
Wei
D000818:Animals; D001012:Aorta, Abdominal / Q000473:pathology*; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004198:Disease Susceptibility; D005260:Female; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology*; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D020780:Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 / Q000097:blood; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D011247:Pregnancy; D011897:Random Allocation; D012307:Risk Factors
D008055:Lipids; D020780:Matrix Metalloproteinase 9
Atherosclerosis; hypercholesterolemia; pregnancy; risk factors; susceptibility