A low-cholesterol diet significantly reduced aortic plaque area stenosis in rabbits from 55.8% to 44.6% (P=0.0002), while continued high-cholesterol diet increased stenosis to 69.8% (P=0.001).
Does a low-cholesterol diet reduce aortic atherosclerotic plaque measured by MRI in a rabbit model of atherosclerosis?
High-resolution MRI can noninvasively detect in vivo regression of aortic atherosclerotic plaque in response to dietary cholesterol lowering.
Absolute Event Rate: 44.6% vs 69.8%
p-value: p=0.0002
Direct imaging of the atherosclerotic plaque, rather than the angiographic lumen, may provide greater insight into the response of atherosclerosis to cholesterol-lowering therapy. Aortic plaque was studied in vivo by MRI in rabbits undergoing dietary cholesterol intervention. Thirty-one rabbits underwent aortic balloon injury and high-cholesterol diet for 4 months and then were assigned to low-cholesterol versus continued high-cholesterol diet for up to an additional 16 months. High-resolution (310 micrometer) fast spin-echo MRI of the abdominal aorta was performed at 4, 12, and 20 months and compared with histology. MRI demonstrated a significant reduction in % area stenosis in rabbits placed on low-cholesterol diet (44.6+/-2. 1% at 20 months versus 55.8+/-1.5% at 4 months, P=0.0002). In contrast, % area stenosis increased in rabbits maintained on high-cholesterol diet (69.8+/-3.8% at 20 months versus 55.8+/-1.5% at 4 months, P=0.001). Similarly, plaque thickness decreased significantly in the low-cholesterol group (0.60+/-0.05 mm at 20 months versus 0.85+/-0.06 mm at 4 months, P=0.006), with a trend toward increase in the high-cholesterol group (1.02+/-0.08 mm at 20 months versus 0.85+/-0.06 mm at 4 months, P=0.1). Thus, in rabbits undergoing dietary cholesterol lowering, MRI detected regression of aortic atherosclerotic plaque in vivo. Plaque progression was seen with maintenance of high-cholesterol diet. MRI is a promising noninvasive technology for directly imaging atherosclerosis and its response to therapeutic interventions.
McConnell et al. (Sun,) conducted a other in Atherosclerosis (n=31). Low-cholesterol diet vs. Continued high-cholesterol diet was evaluated on % area stenosis (p=0.0002). A low-cholesterol diet significantly reduced aortic plaque area stenosis in rabbits from 55.8% to 44.6% (P=0.0002), while continued high-cholesterol diet increased stenosis to 69.8% (P=0.001).
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