Prior renovascular hypertension does not predispose to atherosclerosis in mice.
Hypertension is a major risk factor for development of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). Although lowering blood pressure with antihypertensive drugs reduces the increased risk of ASCVD, residual increased risk still remains, suggesting that hypertension may cause chronic changes that promote atherosclerosis. Thus, we tested the hypothesis that hypertension increases the susceptibility to atherosclerosis in mice even after a period of re-established normotension.



We used the 2-kidney, 1-clip (2K1C) technique to induce angiotensin-driven renovascular hypertension, and overexpression of the proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) gene to cause severe hypercholesterolemia and atherosclerosis.



First, we performed 2K1C (n = 8) or sham surgery (n = 9) in PCSK9 transgenic mice before they were fed a high fat diet for 14 weeks. As expected, 2K1C did not affect cholesterol levels, but induced cardiac hypertrophy and significantly increased the atherosclerotic lesion area compared to sham mice (1.8 fold, p < 0.01). Next, we performed 2K1C (n = 13) or sham surgery (n = 14) in wild-type mice but removed the clipped/sham-operated kidney after 10 weeks to eliminate hypertension, and subsequently induced hypercholesterolemia by way of adeno-associated virus-mediated hepatic gene transfer of PCSK9 combined with high-fat diet. After 14 weeks of hypercholesterolemia, atherosclerotic lesion areas were not significantly different in mice with or without prior 2K1C hypertension (0.95 fold, p = 0.35).



Renovascular hypertension in mice does not induce pro-atherogenic changes that persist beyond the hypertensive phase. These results indicate that hypertension only promotes atherogenesis when coinciding temporally with hypercholesterolemia.
Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Denmark; Department of Cardiology, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark. Electronic address: Martin.bodtker.mortensen@clin.au.dk.
Martin Bødtker
MB
Mortensen
Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Denmark.
Line
L
Nilsson
Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Denmark.
Tore G
TG
Larsen
Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Denmark.
Eirild
E
Espeseth
Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Denmark.
Marie
M
Bek
Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Denmark; Department of Cardiology, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark.
Martin M
MM
Bjørklund
Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Denmark; Department of Cardiology, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark.
Mette K
MK
Hagensen
Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Denmark.
Anne
A
Wolff
Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Denmark; Department of Cardiology, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark.
Stine
S
Gunnersen
Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Denmark.
Ernst-Martin
EM
Füchtbauer
Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Denmark.
Ebbe
E
Boedtkjer
Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Denmark; Department of Cardiology, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark.
Jacob F
JF
Bentzon
D000818:Animals; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D001794:Blood Pressure; D059305:Diet, High-Fat; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D018014:Gene Transfer Techniques; D006801:Humans; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D006978:Hypertension, Renovascular / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D007668:Kidney / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D012307:Risk Factors; D013599:Systole; D016896:Treatment Outcome
Atherosclerosis; Hypertension; PCSK9