ABSTRACT
Atherosclerotic model of rabbit was established by feeding heavy dosage ofcholesterol for 60 days and then withdrew it for 30 days. The relation between cholesterolcontent, lipld peroxide (LPO), activity of antioxidative enzyme and the evolution of ath-erosclerotic lesions was observed. It was found that the serum cholesterol level increasedwith the increased duration of cholesterol feeding and reached a peak at the 60th day,then decreased rapidly after feeding was stopped. However the LPO level didn't fall, in-stead it was increased continuously to a much higher level than that of the control. Theanti-oxidative enzymes SOD and GSH-Px showed compensatory increase at the early stageof high LPO level. There after, it was decreased and was kept in lower level than thatof the control. There were developed atherosclerotic lesions of various degree in aorta,pulmonary and coronary arteries. Even one month after the stop of cholesterol feeding,progressive changes, such as large amount of smooth muscle cell proliferation and inflam-matory cell infiltration were observed, and the lesions became much more severe thanbefore. These results suggested that the exess of LPO in the serum resulted in inhibitionof anti-oxidative enzyine activity Which might play an important role in the initiatingand developing of atherosclerosis.
ABSTRACT
To observe whether human aortic smooth muscle cells (SMC) may expressHLA-DR and DP antigens, we used ?-IFN and lymphocytes conditioned media (LCM) to induce SMC in vitro. The results showed that ?-IFN increased HLA-DR and HLA-DP expression on SMC by 80% and 73%, and LCM did so by 74% and 70% respec-tively. HLA-DR and DP (11% and 7%) in both groups were significantly higher thanthat of the control group. These results suggested that activated T lymphocytes may in-crease HLA-DR and HLA-DP antigens expression on human SMC by secreating ?-IFN (orwith other cytokines), which may play certain important roles in atherogenesis.
ABSTRACT
Cultured smooth muscle cells from bovine aortic media were incubated with hyperlipemic serum for 14 days. Lipid peroxides in the cells were higher than controls (P