Changes in the cellular density of plaques in relation to cholesterol diet in experimental atherosclerosis

Abstract

The area densities of cells of the media and two plaque-cell layers (superficial = 1. – 5. cell layers and deep = 6. – 30. cell layers) were analysed in five segments of the aorta thoracica of White New Zealand (WNZ) rabbits fed a cholesterol enriched diet (CH-D) for different time periods.

Media: The area density of cells in the media was similar in all segments of all animals.

Plaque: The cellularity in the two plaque-cell-layers exhibited a higher variability and was different among the groups depending on the cholesterol diet. The rabbits with the longest period of cholesterol application (92d) showed the smallest cellular area-density in the deeper cellular layer of the distal segments of the thoracic aorta. Larger accumulations of foam cells and more extracellular matrix were seen in this group. No correlation was found between the cellularity in both cellular layers and total plaque area. In the groups with shorter cholesterol application (42d) or interruption, that is CH-D for 42d and 50d standard chow, similar cellular densities of the plaques were seen.

Our investigations show that the cellular density of deep but not superficial plaque layers are depending on the time of cholesterol application.

Zusammenfassung

Nach Verabreichung eines mit Cholesterin angereicherten Futters an Weiße Neuseeland(WNZ)-Kaninchen werden zeitabhängig und regional variierend atherosklerotische Wandveränderungen in den Arterien beobachtet. Die Intimahyperplasien, die orientierend morphologisch z. B. in „Fatty Streak“, Atherom, komplexe Plaque unterteilt werden, weisen typische Strukturmerkmale auf [5, 6, 7]. Unser Ziel war es, den Einfluß einer unterschiedlichen Cholesterinzufütterung auf die Zelldichte von morphometrisch definierten Plaques der Aorta hypercholesterinämischer Kaninchen zu untersuchen [4].

Supported by the SFB 320 / Mit Unterstützung durch den SFB 320