This study was undertaken to examine the alterations in vascular relaxation responsiveness to endothelium-dependent or -independent vasodilators, including atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and acetylcholine, in aortas of Watanabe heritable hyperlipidemic (WHHL) rabbits during the progression of the atherosclerotic plaque. WHHL rabbits were divided into two groups according to age: group 1, 6-11...

BACKGROUND Arterial compliance and endothelium-dependent vasodilation are two characteristics of the vessel wall. In the Prospective Investigation of the Vasculature in Uppsala Seniors (PIVUS) study, we studied the relationships between arterial compliance and endothelium-dependent vasodilation versus atherosclerosis as measured with two imaging modalities. METHODS In the population-based PIV...

BACKGROUND The expression of TES, a novel tumor suppressor gene, is found to be down-regulated in the left anterior descending aorta of patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) compared with non-CAD subjects. This study aimed to investigate the expression of TES during the development of atherosclerosis in rabbits. METHODS Thirty-two New Zealand rabbits were randomly divided into a normal ...

Intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration that accelerates the loss of disc structural and functional integrities is recognized as one of the major factors of chronic back pain. Cardiovascular risk factors, such as deficits of apolipoproteins that elevate the levels of cholesterol and triglycerides, are considered critical for the progress of atherosclerosis; notably in the abdominal aorta and its...

BACKGROUND Insulin resistance is often accompanied by hyperinsulinemia and may predispose to atherosclerosis. Endothelium plays a central role in atherogenesis. The in vivo effects of hyperinsulinemia on endothelial function of large conduit arteries are unknown. METHODS AND RESULTS Twenty-five healthy subjects were enrolled for study. In study A (n=9), subjects underwent both a time-control ...

In the studies on coronary circulation mostly normal animals have been subjected to the experimental investigation. It seems important to investigate the effects of drugs on the coronary vascular bed in animals with atherosclerosis. Rinzler et al. (1) demonstrated that in atherosclerotic rabbits intravenous ergonovine produced electrocardiographic changes characteristic of coronary insufficienc...

Professor Yoshio Watanabe, who developed the WHHL rabbit, died on December 13, 2008. He had contributed to studies of lipoprotein metabolism and atherosclerosis, and to the development of hypolipidemic and/or anti-atherosclerotic compounds. WHHL rabbits show hypercholesterolemia due to deficiency of LDL receptors, and very similar lipoprotein metabolism to humans. The incidences of coronary ath...

NO has several putative atheroprotective properties but its precursor, L-arginine, and inhibitors of its synthesis have had inconsistent effects on the extent of experimental atherosclerosis in rabbits. The location and character of experimental atherosclerosis differ between immature and mature rabbits; both phenomena have been attributed to changes with age in the NO pathway. We investigated ...

Experiments were done to determine whether undernutrition with consequent loss of weight or failure to gain weight inhibited the development or promoted the regression of the aortic lesions of experimental cholesterol atherosclerosis in the rabbit. The experiments were conducted in such a way as to determine whether undernourished and adequately nourished rabbits fed the same daily doses of cho...

We have previously described 2 strains of New Zealand White rabbits with a high (HAR) or low (LAR) atherosclerotic response to hypercholesterolemia. In the present study, we focused on class A scavenger receptor (SR-A) activity and ApoE expression in macrophages from both rabbit strains. These parameters play a crucial role in maintaining cholesterol homeostasis in the arterial wall and may be ...