Hypercholesterolemic Rats (hypercholesterolemic + rat)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


LIPID-LOWERING EFFICACY OF PIPERINE FROM PIPER NIGRUM L. IN HIGH-FAT DIET AND ANTITHYROID DRUG-INDUCED HYPERCHOLESTEROLEMIC RATS

JOURNAL OF FOOD BIOCHEMISTRY, Issue 4 2006
RAMASAMY SUBRAMANIAM VIJAYAKUMAR
ABSTRACT Male Wistar rats were divided into two groups: control diet group and high-fat diet group (HFD). Both groups were divided into four subgroups, each consisted of 10 animals, and the diets were supplemented with the following ingredients for 10 weeks: (1) 1% carboxymethyl cellulose; (2) 10 mg carbimazole (CM)/kg body weight; (3) 10 mg CM + 40 mg piperine/kg body weight; and (4) 10 mg CM + 2 mg atorvastatin/kg body weight. Feeding HFD to rats significantly (P < 0.05) elevated plasma total cholesterol, triglycerides, phospholipids, free fatty acids, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) and the activity of 3-hydroxy 3-methyl glutaryl coenzyme A (HMG CoA) reductase in the liver, heart and aorta, while the activities of plasma and tissue lipoprotein lipase (LPL) and plasma lecithin cholesterol acyl transferase (LCAT) and high-density lipoprotein were significantly (P < 0.05) lowered compared to control rats. Supplementing piperine with HFD significantly (P < 0.05) reduced the levels of plasma total cholesterol, LDL, VLDL tissue HMG CoA reductase and significantly (P < 0.05) elevated the levels of LPL and LCAT compared to rats that did not receive piperine. Fecal bile acids and neutral sterols were also elevated in HFD-fed rats as compared to control animals, while simultaneous supplementation of piperine significantly (P < 0.05) enhanced further excretion of bile acids and neutral sterols. The results indicate that piperine can prevent the accumulation of plasma lipids and lipoproteins significantly by modulating the enzymes of lipid metabolism. [source]


Artichoke leaf extract reduces oxidative stress and lipoprotein dyshomeostasis in rats fed on high cholesterol diet

PHYTOTHERAPY RESEARCH, Issue 4 2010
Z. Küskü-Kiraz
Abstract Hypercholesterolemia and lipid peroxidation play complementary role in atherosclerosis. Artichoke leaf extract (ALE) is rich in natural antioxidants and has a cholesterol-reducing effect. However, there is no study investigating the effect of ALE on lipid levels and lipid peroxidation in experimental hypercholesterolemic conditions. Rats were fed on 4% (w/w) cholesterol and 1% (w/w) cholic acid supplemented diet for 1 month. ALE (1.5,g/kg/day) was given by gavage during the last 2 weeks. Serum lipid composition, malondialdehyde (MDA) and diene conjugate (DC) levels and plasma antioxidant activity (AOA) were measured. In addition, endogenous DC and copper-induced MDA levels were determined in apo B-containing lipoproteins (LDL+VLDL fraction). Serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels and the ratio of cholesterol to HDL-cholesterol decreased due to ALE treatment in rats fed on HC diet. Significant decreases in serum MDA and DC levels and increases in plasma AOA were detected in serum in ALE-treated hypercholesterolemic rats. Endogenous DC and copper-induced MDA levels were also lower in LDL+VLDL fraction due to ALE-treatment in hypercholesterolemic rats. Our results indicate that ALE may be useful for the prevention of hypercholesterolemia-induced pro-oxidant state in LDL+VLDL fraction and the reduction of increased serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Efficient Gene Expression System Using the RTP801 Promoter in the Corpus Cavernosum of High-Cholesterol Diet-Induced Erectile Dysfunction Rats for Gene Therapy

THE JOURNAL OF SEXUAL MEDICINE, Issue 6 2008
Minhyung Lee PhD
ABSTRACT Introduction., The application of gene therapy for a nonlife-threatening disease, such as erectile dysfunction (ED), requires a higher safety level and more efficacious systems for gene transfer. Aim., To establish a novel technique for gene expression in a rat model of hypercholesterolemic ED that uses the RTP801 promoter, a hypoxia-inducible promoter. Methods., Two-month-old male Sprague,Dawley rats were fed a diet containing 4% cholesterol and 1% cholic acid, and age-matched control animals were fed a normal diet, for 3 months. Main Outcome Measures., Cavernous expression of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1, was evaluated by Western blot. After intracavernous injection of pSV-Luc or pRTP801-Luc, gene expression was evaluated by luciferase assay, and the gene expression area was evaluated by immunohistochemistry. Results., HIF-1, was up-regulated in the corpus cavernosum of hypercholesterolemic rats. Although pSV-Luc did not induce gene expression in either the control or the cholesterol group, pRTP801-Luc significantly induced gene expression in the cholesterol group and resulted in higher luciferase activity than did pSV-Luc up to 14 days after injection. Immunohistochemistry showed that the gene expression area was also greater in the pRTP801-Luc group than in the pSV-Luc group, but the difference was not as great as that in luciferase activity. This suggests that pRTP801-Luc exerts its effect mainly by inducing promoter activity under hypoxia, not by increasing the number of transfected cells. Conclusion., The RTP801 promoter-driven gene expression system increased gene expression in the corpus cavernosum tissue of rats with cholesterol-induced ED. This may be a useful system for the development of gene therapy in vasculogenic ED. Lee M, Ryu J-K, Piao S, Choi MJ, Kim HA, Zhang L-W, Shin H-Y, Jung HI, Kim I-H, Kim SW, and Suh J-K. Efficient gene expression system using the RTP801 promoter in the corpus cavernosum of high-cholesterol diet-induced erectile dysfunction rats for gene therapy. J Sex Med 2008;5:1355,1364. [source]