Fasting is not required for measuring plasma lipid levels in rabbits

2019 ◽  
Vol 54 (3) ◽  
pp. 272-280 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rong Wang ◽  
Ruihan Liu ◽  
Lu Li ◽  
Baoning Liu ◽  
Liang Bai ◽  
...  

Plasma lipid and glucose levels are important parameters for evaluating the onset and development of metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. In clinical and experimental studies of humans or mice, fasting is often required before testing plasma lipid and glucose levels. The rabbit is a valuable animal model for cardiovascular disease research. However, whether fasting is necessary for measuring plasma lipid and glucose levels in rabbits remains unclear. In the current study, 12 healthy Japanese white rabbits (males weighing 2.5–3.0 kg) were randomly divided into a chow diet group ( n = 6) and a high cholesterol diet group ( n = 6). They were fed either a standard chow diet or a chow diet supplemented with 0.5% cholesterol and 3% corn oil for 12 weeks. After 12 weeks, the plasma levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and glucose were measured before and after various fasting durations (8, 12, 16, 20 and 24 h). The results showed that there were no significant differences in lipid levels between the fasting and non-fasting samples, whereas glucose levels were lower after 8 h of fasting than in the absence of fasting. Moreover, the glucose levels were restored to normal after 8 h of refeeding. These results indicate that fasting does not affect plasma lipid values in rabbits but that fasting is important for determining the glucose level in rabbits. These findings may be helpful for future rabbit experiments and beneficial for animal welfare.

2016 ◽  
Vol 94 (2) ◽  
pp. 216-224 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed R. El-Sheakh ◽  
Hamdy A. Ghoneim ◽  
Ghada M. Suddek ◽  
El Sayed M. Ammar

Allicin, the active substance of garlic, exerts a broad spectrum of pharmacological activities and is considered to have potential therapeutic applications. The present study was designed to investigate the possible beneficial effects of allicin against oxidative stress, inflammation, and endothelial dysfunction in hypercholesterolemic rabbits. Male New Zealand white rabbits were used in this study. Rabbits randomly received 1 of the following treatments: normal chow diet for 4 weeks, 1% high cholesterol diet (HCD), HCD plus allicin (10 mg/kg/day), or HCD plus atorvastatin (10 mg/kg/day). Blood samples were collected at the end of experimental diets for measurement of serum total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TGs), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), C-reactive protein (CRP), malondialdehyde (MDA), reduced glutathione (GSH), and superoxide dismutase (SOD). In addition, the aorta was removed for measurement of vascular reactivity, histopathological changes, intima/media (I/M) ratio, and immunohistochemical staining of both tumor necrosis-alpha (TNF-α) and nuclear factor (NF)-κB. HCD induced significant increases in serum TC, TGs, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), CRP, and MDA. Moreover, HCD caused significant decrease in serum GSH and SOD. In addition, aortic relaxation response to acetylcholine (ACh) was impaired. Immunohistochemical staining of aortic specimens from HCD-fed rabbits revealed high expression levels of both TNF-α and the oxidant-induced transcription factor, NF-κB. Allicin supplementation significantly decreased serum MDA and CRP, increased serum HDL-C, GSH, and SOD levels while nonsignificantly affecting HCD-induced elevations in serum TC and LDL-C. Additionally, allicin significantly protected against HCD-induced attenuation of rabbit aortic endothelium-dependent relaxation to ACh and elevation in I/M ratio. This effect was confirmed by histopathological examination of the aorta. Moreover, allicin has substantially beneficial effects on aortic expression of TNF-α and NF-κB compared with HCD-fed rabbits. In conclusion, these findings demonstrate that allicin may be useful in reducing oxidative stress, inflammation, vascular dysfunction, and the aortic pathology in hypercholesterolemic rabbits.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fuqiang Liu ◽  
Shengping Wang ◽  
Zhi Luo

Background: The studies of miRNAs are vibrant and remain at the forefront in the cardiovascular system. Emerging studies indicate that the genetic polymorphisms of the miRNA gene may affect lipid metabolism; this study aims to clarify the specific correlations between the rs2910164 and rs3746444 polymorphisms and lipid levels.Methods and Results: A comprehensive search of literature was performed from December 31, 2020, to May 31, 2021, by searching of the PubMed and the Cochrane databases. The standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were used to evaluate the differences in lipid levels between the genotypes. rs2910164, a functional polymorphism in the miRNA-146a gene, was associated with increased triglycerides (TG) (SMD = 0.35, 95% CI = 0.15–0.54, p < 0.001), total cholesterol (TC) (SMD = 0.43, 95% CI = 0.16–0.70, p < 0.001), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (SMD = 0.37, 95% CI = 0.11–0.63, p = 0.01) as well as decreased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (SMD = −0.27, 95% CI = −0.47−0.07, p = 0.01) levels. rs3746444, a functional polymorphism in the miRNA-499a gene, was only correlated with decreased TG (SMD = −0.09, 95% CI = −0.17−0.01, P = 0.03) levels.Conclusions: The miRNA-146a rs2910164 polymorphism is significantly associated with atherogenic dyslipidemia.


2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna E. Engell ◽  
Henrik L. Jørgensen ◽  
Bent S. Lind ◽  
Anton Pottegård ◽  
Christen L. Andersen ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Lipid levels in blood have decreased considerably during the past decades in the general population partly due to use of statins. This study aims to investigate the trends in lipid levels between 2001 and 2018 in a statin-free population from primary health care, overall and by sex and age. Methods In a cohort of 634,119 patients from general practice with no diagnoses or medical treatments that affected lipid levels of total cholesterol (TC; n = 1,574,339) between 2001 and 2018 were identified. Similarly, measurements of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C; n = 1,302,440), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C; n = 1,417,857) and triglycerides (TG; n = 1,329,477) were identified. Results Mean TC decreased from 5.64 mmol/L (95% CI: 5.63–5.65) in 2001 to 5.17 mmol/L (95% CI: 5.16–5.17) in 2018 while LDL-C decreased from 3.67 mmol/L (95% CI: 3.66–3.68) to 3.04 mmol/L (95% CI: 3.03–3.04). Women aged 70–74 years experienced the largest decreases in TC levels corresponding to a decrease of 0.7 mmol/L. The decrease in LDL-C levels was most pronounced in men ≥85 years with a decrease of 0.9 mmol/L. For both genders, TC and LDL-C levels increased with advancing age until around age 50. After menopause the women had higher TC and LDL-C levels than the men. The median (geometric mean) TG level decreased by 0.4 mmol/L from 2001 to 2008, after which it increased slightly by 0.1 mmol/L until 2018. During life the TG levels of the men were markedly higher than the women’s until around age 65–70. HDL-C levels showed no trend during the study period. Conclusions The levels of TC and LDL-C decreased considerably in a statin-free population from primary health care from 2001 to 2018. These decreases were most pronounced in the elderly population and this trend is not decelerating. For TG, levels have started to increase, after an initial decrease.


2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 401-408 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barak Zafrir ◽  
Walid Saliba ◽  
Ronen Jaffe ◽  
Hussein Sliman ◽  
Moshe Y Flugelman ◽  
...  

Introduction There is paucity of data regarding lipid goal attainment after coronary-artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) and its impact on adverse outcomes. We aimed to investigate the attainment of lipid goals and the association between plasma lipid levels achieved after CABG and mortality. Methods Retrospective analysis of 1230 patients undergoing CABG. Mortality was examined in relation to most-recent lipid levels attained, categorized by clinically-relevant thresholds, and according to the improvement from pre-operative levels. Results Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) < 70 mg/dL was attained by 44% of the patients. After multivariable adjustment, the hazard ratio for long-term mortality was 1.33 (95% confidence interval, 1.05–1.67) and 1.97 (1.55–2.50) for patients attaining LDL-C 70–100 mg/dL and >100 mg/dL, respectively, compared with LDL-C < 70 mg/dL. The hazard ratio was 1.42 (1.07–1.88) and 1.73 (1.33–2.23) for patients attaining high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) 40–50 mg/dL and <40 mg/dL, respectively, compared with HDL-C > 50 mg/dL; and 1.11 (0.85–1.45) and 4.28 (1.89–9.68) for patients with triglycerides 200–500 mg/dL and >500 mg/dL compared with triglycerides <200 mg/dL. A progressive stepwise association was seen between the cumulative status of the lipid measures achieved and long-term mortality, with the lowest risk observed in those with optimal level of all lipid measures ( p < 0.0001). Improvement in any of the lipid measures from pre-operative to latest documented levels was associated with reduced mortality. Conclusions Lack of attainment of optimal levels of routine lipid measures after CABG was common and associated both independently and additively with long-term mortality, emphasizing the importance of addressing plasma lipid profile as both a risk marker and a treatment target after CABG.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Pennig ◽  
Philipp Scherrer ◽  
Mark Colin Gissler ◽  
Nathaly Anto-Michel ◽  
Natalie Hoppe ◽  
...  

AbstractDiabetes worsens atherosclerosis progression and leads to a defect in repair of arteries after cholesterol reduction, a process termed regression. Empagliflozin reduces blood glucose levels via inhibition of the sodium glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT-2) in the kidney and has been shown to lead to a marked reduction in cardiovascular events in humans. To determine whether glucose lowering by empagliflozin accelerates atherosclerosis regression in a mouse model, male C57BL/6J mice were treated intraperitoneally with LDLR- and SRB1- antisense oligonucleotides and fed a high cholesterol diet for 16 weeks to induce severe hypercholesterolemia and atherosclerosis progression. At week 14 all mice were rendered diabetic by streptozotocin (STZ) injections. At week 16 a baseline group was sacrificed and displayed substantial atherosclerosis of the aortic root. In the remaining mice, plasma cholesterol was lowered by switching to chow diet and treatment with LDLR sense oligonucleotides to induce atherosclerosis regression. These mice then received either empagliflozin or vehicle for three weeks. Atherosclerotic plaques in the empagliflozin treated mice were significantly smaller, showed decreased lipid and CD68+ macrophage content, as well as greater collagen content. Proliferation of plaque resident macrophages and leukocyte adhesion to the vascular wall were significantly decreased in empagliflozin-treated mice. In summary, plasma glucose lowering by empagliflozin improves plaque regression in diabetic mice.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 904
Author(s):  
Jun Watanabe ◽  
Masato Hamasaki ◽  
Kazuhiko Kotani

Introduction: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is positively associated with cardiovascular diseases, but the involvement of lipids in this association remains unclear. The present study reviewed the changes in circulating lipid levels following H. pylori eradication. Methods: A PubMed database was searched until December 2020 to identify randomized control trials (RCTs) and non-RCTs investigating the effect of H. pylori eradication on the lipid levels in inverse variance-weighted, random-effects meta-analyses. Results: A total of 24 studies (four RCTs and 20 non-RCTs) with 5270 participants were identified. The post-eradication levels were increased for high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C; mean difference (MD) 2.28 mg/dL, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.90 to 2.66) and triglyceride (TG; MD 3.22 mg/dL, 95% CI 1.13 to 5.31) compared with the pre-eradication levels. H. pylori eradication resulted in little to no difference in the low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol levels (MD −2.33 mg/dL, 95% CI −4.92 to 0.26). In the analyses of RCTs only, the findings for elevated HDL-C levels, but not TG, were robust. Conclusions: H. pylori eradication increases the HDL-C levels. Further studies are needed to elucidate the effects of lipid changes following H. pylori eradication on cardiovascular diseases.


Circulation ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 143 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sheila M Manemann ◽  
Suzette J Bielinski ◽  
Ethan D Moser ◽  
Jennifer L St. Sauver ◽  
Paul Y Takahashi ◽  
...  

Background: Larger within-patient variability of lipid levels has been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, measures of lipid variability are not currently used clinically. We investigated the feasibility of calculating lipid variability within a large electronic health record (EHR)-based population cohort and assessed associations with incident CVD. Methods: We identified all individuals ≥40 years of age who resided in Olmsted County, MN on 1/1/2006 (index date) without prior CVD. CVD was defined as myocardial infarction, coronary artery bypass graft surgery, percutaneous coronary intervention or stroke. Patients with ≥3 measurements of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and/or triglycerides during the 5 years before the index date were retained in the analyses. Lipid variability was calculated using variability independent of the mean (VIM). Patients were followed through 9/30/2017 for incident CVD (including CVD death). Cox regression was used to investigate the association between quintiles of lipid VIMs and incident CVD. Results: We identified 18,642 individuals (mean age 60; 55% female) who were free of CVD at baseline and VIM calculated for at least one lipid measurement. After adjustment, those in the highest VIM quintiles of total cholesterol had a 25% increased risk of CVD (Q5 vs. Q1 HR: 1.25, 95% CI: 1.08-1.45; Table). We observed similar results for LDL-C (Q5 vs. Q1 HR: 1.20, 95% CI: 1.04-1.39) and HDL-C (Q5 vs. Q1 HR: 1.25, 95% CI: 1.09-1.43). There was no association between triglyceride variability quintiles and CVD risk. Conclusion: In a large EHR-based population cohort, high variability in total cholesterol, HDL-C and LDL-C was associated with an increased risk of CVD, independently of traditional risk factors, suggesting it may be a target for intervention. Lipid variability can be calculated in the EHR environment but more research is needed to determine its clinical utility.


BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. e026860 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luqi Shen ◽  
José F Cordero ◽  
Jia-Sheng Wang ◽  
Ye Shen ◽  
Shengxu Li ◽  
...  

ObjectivesThe objective of this study was to evaluate the association of genetically determined leptin with lipids.DesignWe conducted a Mendelian randomisation study to assess a potential causal relationship between serum leptin and lipid levels. We also evaluated whether alcohol drinking modified the associations of genetically determined leptin with blood lipids.Setting and participants3860 participants of the Framingham Heart Study third generation cohort.ResultsBoth genetic risk scores (GRSs), the GRS generated using leptin loci independent of body mass index (BMI) and GRS generated using leptin loci dependent of BMI, were positively associated with log-transformed leptin (log-leptin). The BMI-independent leptin GRS was associated with log-transformed triglycerides (log-TG, β=−0.66, p=0.01), but not low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C, p=0.99), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C, p=0.44) or total cholesterol (TC, p=0.49). Instrumental variable estimation showed that per unit increase in genetically determined log-leptin was associated with 0.55 (95% CI: 0.05 to 1.00) units decrease in log-TG. Besides significant association with log-TG (β=−0.59, p=0.009), the BMI-dependent GRS was nominally associated with HDL-C (β=−10.67, p=0.09) and TC (β=−28.05, p=0.08). When stratified by drinking status, the BMI-dependent GRS was associated with reduced levels of LDL-C (p=0.03), log-TG (p=0.004) and TC (p=0.003) among non-current drinkers only. Significant interactions between the BMI-dependent GRS and alcohol drinking were identified for LDL-C (p=0.03), log-TG (p=0.03) and TC (p=0.02).ConclusionThese findings together indicated that genetically determined leptin was negatively associated with lipid levels and the association may be modified by alcohol consumption.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Imene Fhoula ◽  
Amel Rehaiem ◽  
Afef Najjari ◽  
Donatella Usai ◽  
Abdellatif Boudabous ◽  
...  

The research and the selection of novel probiotic strains from novel niches are receiving increased attention on their proclaimed health benefits to both humans and animals. This study aimed to evaluate the functional properties ofWeissellastrains from arid land living-hosts and to select strains with cholesterol-lowering propertyin vitroandin vivo, for use as probiotics. They were assessed for acid and bile tolerance, antibiotic susceptibility, membrane properties, antibacterial activity, antiadhesive effect against pathogens to host cell lines, and cholesterol assimilationin vitro. Our results showed that the majority of strains revealed resistance to gastrointestinal conditions. All the strains were nonhemolytic and sensitive to most of the tested antibiotics. They also exhibited high rates of autoaggregation and some of them showed high coaggregation with selected pathogens and high adhesion ability to two different cell lines (Caco-2 and MIM/PPk). Particularly,W. halotoleransF99, from camel feces, presented a broad antibacterial spectrum against pathogens, reducedEnterococcus faecalisandEscherichia coliadhesion to Caco-2 cells, and was found to reduce,in vitro, the cholesterol level by 49 %. Moreover,W. halotoleransF99 was evaluated for the carbohydrate utilization as well as the serum lipid metabolism effect in Wistar rats fed a high-cholesterol diet.W. halotoleransF99 showed an interesting growth on different plant-derivative oligosaccharides as sole carbon sources. Compared with rats fed a high-fat (HF) diet withoutWeissellaadministration, total serum cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglycerides levels were significantly (p<0.001) reduced inW. halotoleransF99-treated HF rats, with no significant change in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol HDL-C levels. On the basis of these results, this is the first study to report thatW. halotoleransF99, from camel feces, can be developed as cholesterol-reducing probiotic strain. Further studies may reveal their potential and possible biotechnological and probiotic applications.


Author(s):  
Ibikunle Akinlua ◽  
Akinwumi T. Ogundajo ◽  
Olufisayo G. Oyebanji ◽  
Babajide O. Arobasalu

Hypertension is the most prevalent and treatable risk factors for cardiovascular diseases and a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Elevated levels of lipid in the blood also known as hyperlipideamia or dyslipidemia have been implicated in the development of atherosclerosis and most cardiovascular diseases including hypertension. This study was designed to evaluate the plasma level of lipid profile in mild and severe hypertensive patients with a view to provide information on the link between these parameters and the development and severity of hypertension. Blood samples were collected from 120 freshly diagnosed hypertensive patients consisting of 60 mild and 60 severe hypertensive patients at Wesley Guide Hospital of Obafemi Awolowo University teaching Hospital Ilesa Osun state and 60 relatively healthy subjects as control. Plasma level of lipid profile [namely High density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLc), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLc), triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC)] in the blood sample of both patients and control subjects were analyzed using standard methods. The results obtained were subjected to statistical analysis (p<0.05).The results of lipid profile in mild and severe hypertensive patients was compared to the control subjects. The results in mild hypertensive patients were also compared with the severe ones. There was a significant increase (P<0.05) in the plasma level of TC and LDLc in both mild and severe hypertensive patients when compared with the control subjects. Similarly a significant increase (p<0.05) was recorded in the plasma level of the both TC and LDLc in severe hypertensive patients when compared with mild hypertensive patients. However, the plasma level of HDLc in moderate and severe hypertensive patients was slightly lowered but not significant (p<0.05) while plasma TG level was not significantly different when compared with the control subjects. This study reveals a progressive increase in the plasma level of TC and LDLc from mild to severe hypertensive patients which could be a pointer to the fact that abnormalities in lipid metabolism might plays a significant role in the development and severity of hypertension.


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