Development of atherosclerotic plaque with endothelial disruption in Watanabe heritable hyperlipidemic rabbit aortas.

To better understand the morphogenesis of atherosclerotic plaque, we evaluated temporal distribution of leukocytes, macrophages, foam cells, vascular smooth muscle cells, and subendothelial lipid in Watanabe heritable hyperlipedimic (WHHL) rabbit aortas. Aortas of WHHL (n=20) and New Zealand White (NZW, controls; n=8) rabbits were perfusion fixed at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months of age. At initial gross evaluation of lipid distribution, we identified aortic areas at high risk for lesion development. In WHHL rabbits, the lipid-positive portion of high-risk areas increased from 3% at 1 month to 50% at 12 months; during the same period, adherent cell count increased from <1 leukocyte and monocyte/mm(2) to 25 leukocytes, 44 monocytes, and 10 foam cells/mm(2). Controls showed no increase over time in lipid-positive areas or cellular adherence to the endothelium. One-month-old WHHL rabbit aortas had scattered lipid-positive cells in the intima (primarily branch points). Immunostaining of these areas did not show rabbit macrophages (RAM antibody) but were actin positive. Occasionally, platelets and monocytes adhered to the endothelial surface. By age 3 months, well-defined fatty streaks/atherosclerotic plaques had RAM-positive cells within foam cell core, along core margins, and in focal clusters in the fibrous cap and subendothelium. By age 12 months, isolated RAM-positive cells were on the endothelial surface, and surface morphology showed endothelial cell disruption foci containing clusters of macrophages and foam cells. Our results indicate that lipid accumulation (extra- and intracellular) is important in the early development of atherosclerotic lesions; a corresponding, slower accumulation of adherent cells on the lesion surface promotes lipid conversion from fatty streak to plaque.

Oxidative injury of coronary venular endothelial cells depletes intracellular glutathione and induces HSP 70 mRNA.

Vascular endothelium is one of the first tissues exposed to reactive oxygen species produced during myocardial ischemia-reperfusion. Bovine coronary venular endothelial cells (CVEC) were evaluated for intracellular glutathione (GSH) levels and heat shock protein 70 (HSP 70) mRNA and protein during in vitro oxidative stress. CVEC were incubated with 0.01875 U/ml xanthine oxidase (XO) and 0.5 mM hypoxanthine (HX) for 30 min and then allowed to recover for 0, 1, 2, or 3 h. Relative GSH levels were determined by evaluation of monochlorobimane fluorescence. GSH fluorescence was significantly lower in CVEC treated with XO+HX for 30 min than in controls. GSH fluorescence was also decreased in heat-shocked CVEC. After oxidative stress, GSH levels were higher than in controls at 1 h, but by 2 or 3 h after treatment, GSH fluorescence fell below control values. HSP 70 mRNA was induced in CVEC by a 30-min treatment with XO+HX exposure. These data suggest that CVEC respond to oxidative stress by reducing intracellular GSH levels and inducing HSP 70 mRNA, although significant increases in HSP 70 protein were not detected at the time points tested.