The correlation between atherosclerosis progression and the expression of platelet derived endothelial nitric oxide synthase in rabbits / 中华老年医学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To explore the correlation of atheroselerosis progression and the expression of platelet derived endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) in rabbits. Methods A total of 24 male New Zealand white rabbits were used in this study. Six of the animals were fed with normal food (control group). Eighteen rabbits were fed with cholesterol-rich food (1 g/d) for 12 weeks to establish the atherosclerosis model. Among 18 models, 6 rabbits were executed immediately and their aorta and platelet samples were collected for further analysis (model group), 6 rabbits were orally administered with pravastatin (10 rag/d) for additional 12 weeks (treated group), and the remaining 6 rabbits were left untreated until the end of the study (untreated group). The control, treated and untreated animals were then killed, and the aorta and platelet samples were collected for eNOS expression analysis (RT-PCR). Results The aorta samples in model and untreated group exhibited rough intima and a lot of longitudinal fatty streaks, which indicated that atherosclerosis models were established successfully. While in treated group, the degree of atherosclerosis was decreased. The average percent of thickness of fatty streaks or atheroselerotic plaques relative to the whole thickness of vessel walls was 0. 04±0. 02, 0. 82±0. 16, 0. 33±0. 18,0. 77±0. 14 in control, model, treated and untreated group, respectively. The thickness of fatty streaks or atherosclerotic plaques was significantly increased in the model and untreated groups and decreased in treated group compared with the control group (both P<0. 05). The expressions of platelet derived eNOS/mRNA were 1. 02± 0. 28, 0. 41± 0. 27, 1.00 ± 0. 77, 0. 40±0. 29 in control, model, treated and untreated group, respectively. The expression of eNOS/mRNA was markedly decreased in model group and untreated group compared with the control group, but was increased in treated group compared with untreated and model groups (F=3. 544, P = 0. 024). Conclusions There is a negative correlation between eNOS expression and atherosclerosis development, which suggests that the reversal effect of pravastatin on atheroselerosis progression and plaque formation may relate to the expression of platelet derived eNOS.