Progression of atherosclerosis in ApoE-knockout mice fed on a high-fat diet.

OBJECTIVE: To construct the atherosclerosis model of ApoE-knockout (ApoE-/-) mouse after deposition of high-fat diet at brachiocephalic artery and coronary artery.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: 40 healthy 8-week SPF-level male ApoE-/- mice of body weigh 16 to 23 g were averagely divided into a high-fat diet group and an ordinary diet group. Mice were sacrificed in a time course study by 3 months, 6 months, 9 months and 12 months. The brachiocephalic artery and coronary artery were extracted for pathological examination, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used for the examination of serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) content and the relative expression level of liver peroxisome proliferator activated receptor (PPAR).
RESULTS: Plaque ratio in lumen area, lipid ratio in plaque area and plaque spontaneous rupture rate of brachiocephalic artery and coronary artery in high-fat diet group are all significantly higher than those in ordinary diet group during the same period (p<0.05). In the high-fat diet group, those indexes mentioned above in brachiocephalic artery are all significantly higher than those in coronary artery during the same period (p<0.05). Hs-CRP content in high-fat diet group is significantly higher than that in ordinary diet group during the same period, while PPAR relative expression level is significantly lower than that in ordinary diet group during the same period (p<0.05).
CONCLUSIONS: It was found that ApoE-/- mice after high-fat diet depict the phenotype of the atherosclerotic mouse model, and the brachiocephalic artery is better than coronary artery in terms of material selection, with inflammatory responses also playing an important role.