A diet high in saturated fat and sucrose alters glucoregulation and induces aortic fatty streaks in New Zealand White rabbits.

A new and convenient animal model for studying peripheral vascular and coronary artery disease in diabetes was established in this study. Male New Zealand White rabbits weighing approximately 2 kg were divided into 2 groups: a normal control group fed standard laboratory chow and a diabetogenic diet-fed group received a high-fat/high-sucrose diet. The high-fat/high-sucrose diet (contained 10% lard and 37% sucrose) feeding was maintained for 6 months. Plasma total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, triglyceride, superoxide dismutase, nitric oxide, nitric oxide synthase, insulin, and glucose were quantitated at monthly or bimonthly intervals. The aortic fatty streak lesions were quantified following lipid staining with Sudan IV. The aortic samples were observed by electron microscopy. High plasma triglyceride and glucose concentrations were induced. At the end of 6 months, the aortic fatty streak lesions were present in the animals' vascular specimens. As far as we know, this is the first report that demonstrates that New Zealand White rabbits can develop obvious aortic fatty streaks by feeding a high-fat/high-sucrose diet. Our results suggest that New Zealand White rabbits fed a high-fat/high-sucrose diet would provide a convenient model for studying peripheral vascular-and coronary artery disease in diabetes.

Effects of the lipoprotein lipase activator NO-1886 as a suppressor agent of atherosclerosis in aorta of mild diabetic rabbits.

The synthetic compound NO-1886 ([4-(4-bromo-2-cyano-phenylcarbamoyl)-benzyl]-phosphonic acid diethyl ester, CAS 133208-93-2) is a lipoprotein lipase activator which decreases plasma triglycerides and elevates high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels. However, the effects of NO-1886 on plasma glucose level and atherosclerosis in diabetes are not clear. The aim of this study was to ascertain whether the compound lowers plasma glucose and suppresses atherosclerosis in New Zealand White rabbits with high fat/high sucrose-induced mild diabetes. High fat/high sucrose feeding increased plasma total cholesterol, triglyceride and glucose levels and decreased HDL-C levels resulting in atherosclerosis in the aorta. Administration of NO-1886 to the rabbits resulted in decreased plasma total cholesterol, triglyceride and glucose levels and increased HDL-C levels after 20 weeks of treatment. Furthermore, NO-1886 provided protection against the development of atherosclerosis in the aorta. These data indicate that NO-1886 not only ameliorates the lipid disorder, but also lowers plasma glucose levels and suppresses atherosclerosis in the aorta of diabetic rabbits.