Infection Exacerbates Atherosclerosis in ApoB100only/LDLRMouse Strain.

Abstract

AIMS: Hyperlipidaemia model animals have been used to elucidate the role ofinfection in atherosclerosis. The aims of this study were to investigate the proatherogenic effect of multipleinfections in ApoB100only/LDLRmice which based on lipid profile can be regarded as the most suitable mouse model of human hypercholesterolemia and to compare the lesion development to that in a major atherosclerosis model ApoEmice. METHODS AND RESULTS: Aorta samples of ApoB100only/LDLRmice infected three times withwere subjected to morphometric analyses. Morphometric evaluation disclosed thatinfections exacerbated atherosclerosis development in the aortic root and descending aorta of the mice fed with normal diet. Viable Cpn was detected in the ascending aorta by RT-PCR. Chlamydial 16SrRNA expression showed the presence of viablein the aorta of infected animals. A similar rate of acceleration of atherosclerosis was observed when the infection protocol was applied in ApoB100only/LDLRand in ApoEmice. CONCLUSION: Similar to ApoEmice, ApoB100only/LDLRmice with more human-relevant serum lipoprotein composition develop increased atherosclerosis afterinfections; thus this mouse strain can be used as a model of infection-related atherosclerosis enhancement and can provide further evidence for the proatherogenic influence ofin mice.