What is the clinical evidence from this study?

Study design: Other. Population: Atherosclerosis. Intervention: Cholesterol diet. Primary outcome: Arterial dynamic properties, reactivity, and stiffness.

What does this research mean for the field?

Atherosclerosis induced by a 0.3% cholesterol diet in rabbits progressively reduces femoral artery dilation to acetylcholine and increases arterial stiffness over time. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.NOVEL_FINDING. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.NEUTRAL.

January 1, 2022

In vivo Evidence of Arterial Dynamic Properties Alteration in Atherosclerotic Rabbit

Key Result

Feeding rabbits a 0.3% cholesterol diet for 9 to 65 weeks progressively reduced femoral artery dilation to acetylcholine and increased arterial stiffness.

Structured PICO

Does atherosclerosis induced by a cholesterol diet alter arterial dynamic properties, reactivity, and stiffness in vivo in rabbits?

Population

Atherosclerotic rabbits fed with 0.3% cholesterol diet

Intervention

0.3% cholesterol diet for 9-65 weeks and local administration of vasoactive agents (acetylcholine, nitroprusside, norepinephrine, serotonin, thromboxane agonist, or angiotensin II)

Outcome

Arterial dynamic properties, reactivity, and stiffness measured as diameter or pulsatile diameter changes in femoral artery or abdominal aortasurrogate

In vivo assessment in atherosclerotic rabbits demonstrates significant alterations in arterial reactivity and compliance dependent on diet duration, validating the model for future therapeutic investigations.

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: Atherosclerosis severely damages the arterial wall. The aim of this study was to assess in vivo, for the first time, arterial dynamic properties, reactivity, and stiffness in atherosclerotic (ATH) rabbits. METHODS: The rabbits were fed with 0.3% cholesterol diet. Femoral artery (FA) or abdominal aorta (AA) diameter was recorded by echotracking, together with blood pressure. Arterial reactivity after local administration of agents and stiffness were measured as diameter or pulsatile diameter changes. RESULTS: FA dilation induced by acetylcholine was reduced in the function of diet duration (9-65 weeks). With mid-term diet duration (35-45 weeks), the dilation to nitroprusside was greatly reduced; the constriction to norepinephrine was reduced but not that to serotonin, thromboxane agonist, or angiotensin II. After 17- and 28-week diet AA and FA stiffness were increased while distensibility was reduced. Arterial stiffness measured by regional pulse wave velocity was unaltered. We observed that after 28-week diet, FA exhibited a stiffened wall at the plaque level and higher distensibility at the upstream site. DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: Arterial reactivity and compliance were greatly modified by atherosclerosis, at various degrees dependent on diet duration. ATH rabbit is therefore a suitable model for in vivo investigations of treatments targeting dynamic properties of arterial wall.

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