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Niimi M, Chen Y, Zhao H, Tang X, Matsuhisa F, Zhou H, Yan H, Chen L, Kitajima S, Sato A, Fan J. Enhanced atherosclerosis in apolipoprotein E knockout rabbits: role of apoB48-rich remnant lipoproteins. Front Cardiovasc Med 2024; 11:1424064. [PMID: 39087075 PMCID: PMC11288958 DOI: 10.3389/fcvm.2024.1424064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2024] [Accepted: 07/02/2024] [Indexed: 08/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Apolipoprotein E (apoE) acts as a binding molecule for both the low-density lipoprotein receptor and the lipoprotein receptor-related protein and this function is essential for facilitating the hepatocyte uptake of lipoproteins containing apoB. The absence of apoE leads to increased atherogenicity in both humans and mice, although the precise molecular mechanisms remain incompletely understood. Objectives This study aimed to investigate the susceptibility of apoE knockout (KO) rabbits, in comparison with wild-type (WT) rabbits, to diet-induced hyperlipidemia and atherosclerosis. Methods ApoE KO rabbits and WT rabbits were fed a diet containing 0.3% cholesterol for 16 weeks. Plasma lipid levels, lipoproteins, and apolipoproteins were analyzed. Atherosclerosis was evaluated at the endpoint of experiments. In addition, we evaluated the oxidizability of those lipoproteins containing apoB to investigate the possible mechanisms of atherosclerosis. Results Male apoE KO rabbits showed significantly elevated levels of total cholesterol and triglycerides compared to WT rabbits, while female apoE KO rabbits displayed similar high total cholesterol levels, albeit with significantly higher triglycerides levels than WT controls. Notably, both male (2.1-fold increase) and female (1.6-fold increase) apoE KO rabbits exhibited a significantly augmented aortic lesion area compared to WT controls. Pathological examination showed that the increased intimal lesions in apoE KO rabbits were featured by heightened infiltration of macrophages (2.7-fold increase) and smooth muscle cells (2.5-fold increase). Furthermore, coronary atherosclerotic lesions were also increased by 1.3-fold in apoE KO rabbits. Lipoprotein analysis revealed that apoB48-rich beta-very-low-density lipoproteins were notably abundant in apoE KO rabbits, suggesting that these remnant lipoproteins of intestinal origin serve as the primary atherogenic lipoproteins. Moreover, apoB48-rich remnant lipoproteins isolated from apoE KO rabbits exhibited heightened susceptibility to copper-induced oxidation. Conclusions The findings indicate that apoB48-rich remnant lipoproteins, resulting from apoE deficiency, possess greater atherogenic potential than apoB100-rich remnant lipoproteins, regardless of plasma TC levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manabu Niimi
- Guangdong Province Key Laboratory, Southern China Institute of Large Animal Models for Biomedicine, School of Pharmacy and Food Engineering, Wuyi University, Jiangmen, China
- Department of Molecular Pathology, Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Medicine, University of Yamanashi, Chuo, Japan
| | - Yajie Chen
- Guangdong Province Key Laboratory, Southern China Institute of Large Animal Models for Biomedicine, School of Pharmacy and Food Engineering, Wuyi University, Jiangmen, China
- Department of Molecular Pathology, Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Medicine, University of Yamanashi, Chuo, Japan
| | - Huanyu Zhao
- Department of Pathology, College of Basic Medical Sciences and The First Hospital, China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Xiangming Tang
- Department of Molecular Pathology, Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Medicine, University of Yamanashi, Chuo, Japan
| | - Fumikazu Matsuhisa
- Division of Biological Resources and Development, Analytical Research Center for Experimental Sciences, Saga University, Saga, Japan
| | - Huanjin Zhou
- Department of Molecular Pathology, Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Medicine, University of Yamanashi, Chuo, Japan
- Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, South China Institute for Stem Cell, Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Haizhao Yan
- Department of Molecular Pathology, Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Medicine, University of Yamanashi, Chuo, Japan
- Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, South China Institute for Stem Cell, Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Lu Chen
- Department of Molecular Pathology, Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Medicine, University of Yamanashi, Chuo, Japan
| | - Shuji Kitajima
- Division of Biological Resources and Development, Analytical Research Center for Experimental Sciences, Saga University, Saga, Japan
| | - Akira Sato
- Department of Cardiology, Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Medicine, University of Yamanashi, Chuo, Japan
| | - Jianglin Fan
- Guangdong Province Key Laboratory, Southern China Institute of Large Animal Models for Biomedicine, School of Pharmacy and Food Engineering, Wuyi University, Jiangmen, China
- Department of Molecular Pathology, Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Medicine, University of Yamanashi, Chuo, Japan
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Prochilo G, Pfeffer A, Du S, Kaneko N, Liebeskind DS, Hinman JD. Recent Translational Research Models of Intracranial Atherosclerotic Disease. Stroke 2024; 55:1707-1719. [PMID: 38738375 DOI: 10.1161/strokeaha.124.044520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/14/2024]
Abstract
Intracranial atherosclerotic disease (ICAD) is a leading cause of ischemic stroke worldwide. However, research on the pathophysiology of ICAD is scarce due to the relative inaccessibility of histology samples and the lack of comprehensive experimental models. As a result, much of the current understanding of ICAD relies on research on extracranial atherosclerosis. This approach is problematic as intracranial and extracranial arteries are anatomically, structurally, physiologically, and metabolically distinct, indicating that intracranial and extracranial atherosclerosis likely develop through different biologic pathways. The current standard of care for ICAD treatment relies predominantly on therapeutics developed to treat extracranial atherosclerosis and is insufficient given the alarmingly high risk of stroke. To provide a definitive treatment for the disease, a deeper understanding of the pathophysiology underlying ICAD is specifically required. True mechanistic understanding of disease pathogenesis is only possible using robust experimental models. In this review, we aim to identify the advantages and limitations of the existing in vivo and in vitro models of ICAD and basic atherosclerotic processes, which may be used to inform better models of ICAD in the future and drive new therapeutic strategies to reduce stroke risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grace Prochilo
- Departments of Neurology (G.P., A.P., S.D., D.S.L., J.D.H.), David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles
| | - Alissa Pfeffer
- Departments of Neurology (G.P., A.P., S.D., D.S.L., J.D.H.), David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles
| | - Stephanie Du
- Departments of Neurology (G.P., A.P., S.D., D.S.L., J.D.H.), David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles
| | - Naoki Kaneko
- Radiology (N.K.), David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles
| | - David S Liebeskind
- Departments of Neurology (G.P., A.P., S.D., D.S.L., J.D.H.), David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles
| | - Jason D Hinman
- Departments of Neurology (G.P., A.P., S.D., D.S.L., J.D.H.), David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles
- Department of Neurology, Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA (J.D.H.)
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Zabriskie MS, Cooke DL, Wang C, Alexander MD. Spatially resolved transcriptomics for evaluation of intracranial vessels in a rabbit model: Proof of concept. Interv Neuroradiol 2023; 29:307-314. [PMID: 35306920 PMCID: PMC10369109 DOI: 10.1177/15910199221088691] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2022] [Revised: 03/01/2022] [Accepted: 03/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Better understanding of vessel biology and vascular pathophysiology is needed to improve understanding of cerebrovascular disorders. Tissue from diseased vessels can offer the best data. Rabbit models can be effective for studying intracranial vessels, filling gaps resulting from difficulties acquiring human tissue. Spatially-resolved transcriptomics (SRT) in particular hold promise for studying such models as they build on RNA sequencing methods, augmenting such data with histopathology. METHODS Rabbit brains with intact arteries were flash frozen, cryosectioned, and stained with H&E to confirm adequate inclusion of intracranial vessels before proceeding with tissue optimization and gene expression analysis using the Visium SRT platform. SRT results were analyzed with k-means clustering analysis, and differential gene expression was examined, comparing arteries to veins. RESULTS Cryosections were successfully mounted on Visium proprietary slides. Quality control thresholds were met. Optimum permeabilization was determined to be 24 min for the tissue optimization step. In analysis of SRT data, k-means clustering distinguished vascular tissue from parenchyma. When comparing gene expression traits, the most differentially expressed genes were those found in smooth muscle cells. These genes were more commonly expressed in arteries compared to veins. CONCLUSIONS Intracranial vessels from model rabbits can be processed and analyzed with the Visium SRT platform. Face validity is found in the ability of SRT data to distinguish vessels from parenchymal tissue and differential expression analysis accurately distinguishing arteries from veins. SRT should be considered for future animal model investigations into cerebrovascular diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew S. Zabriskie
- Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
| | - Daniel L. Cooke
- Department of Neurology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Chuanzhuo Wang
- Department of Radiology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, China
| | - Matthew D. Alexander
- Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
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Tang X, Niimi M, Zhou H, Chen L, Chen Y, Yan H, Shiomi M, Fan J. Pathological Investigations of Intracranial Atherosclerosis Using Multiple Hypercholesterolemic Rabbit Models. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2022; 13:834207. [PMID: 35712258 PMCID: PMC9196249 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2022.834207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2021] [Accepted: 03/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Intracranial atherosclerosis (ICAS) is one of the most common causes of ischemic stroke, but there are few animal models that can recapitulate its pathological features. In this study, we examined ICAS pathological features and anatomic distributions using three types of hyperlipidemic rabbit models. We also investigated the effect of different lipoprotein profiles and hypertension on ICAS. MATERIALS AND METHODS We examined Watanabe heritable hyperlipidemic (WHHL) rabbits, apoE knockout (KO) rabbits and wild-type rabbits (WT) fed a cholesterol diet, in addition to WT rabbits fed a standard diet as a control. The whole brain was dissected and embedded in paraffin. Serial sections were stained with either hematoxylin/eosin or elastica van Gieson, or immunohistochemically stained with monoclonal antibodies against macrophages and smooth muscle cells. We investigated (1) the presence of cerebral atherosclerosis; (2) the lesion locations in the cerebral arteries; (3) the degree of lumen stenosis; (4) pathological features and cellular components of the lesions in these rabbits; and (5) whether hypertension affects ICAS. RESULTS ICAS was detected in apoE and WHHL rabbits, but not in WT rabbits. Compared with apoE KO rabbits, WHHL rabbits had greater ICAS. The lesions of cerebral atherosclerosis were mainly distributed at the bifurcations of the posterior cerebral artery, basilar artery and vertebral artery, and they were basically characterized by smooth muscle cells and extracellular matrix with few macrophages. The extent of the ICAS in WHHL rabbits was significantly increased by hypertension. CONCLUSIONS ICAS was detected in WHHL and apoE KO rabbits, and occurred in specific locations in the cerebral arteries. Hypertension promotes the development of ICAS in the setting of hypercholesterolemia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangming Tang
- Department of Molecular Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Medicine, University of Yamanashi, Yamanashi, Japan
| | - Manabu Niimi
- Department of Molecular Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Medicine, University of Yamanashi, Yamanashi, Japan
| | - Huanjin Zhou
- School of Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Wuyi University, Jiangmen, China
| | - Lu Chen
- Department of Molecular Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Medicine, University of Yamanashi, Yamanashi, Japan
| | - Yajie Chen
- School of Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Wuyi University, Jiangmen, China
| | - Haizhao Yan
- Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, South China Institute for Stem Cell, Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Masashi Shiomi
- Institute for Experimental Animals, Kobe University School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan
| | - Jianglin Fan
- Department of Molecular Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Medicine, University of Yamanashi, Yamanashi, Japan
- School of Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Wuyi University, Jiangmen, China
- *Correspondence: Jianglin Fan,
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McNally JS, de Havenon A, Kim SE, Wang C, Wang S, Zabriskie MS, Parker DL, Baradaran H, Alexander MD. Rabbit models of intracranial atherosclerotic disease for pathological validation of vessel wall MRI. Neuroradiol J 2021; 34:193-199. [PMID: 33325806 PMCID: PMC8165905 DOI: 10.1177/1971400920980153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Vessel wall magnetic resonance imaging can improve the evaluation of intracranial atherosclerotic disease. However, pathological validation is needed to improve vessel wall magnetic resonance imaging techniques. Human pathology samples are not practical for such analysis, so an animal model is therefore needed. MATERIALS AND METHODS Watanabe heritable hyperlipidemic rabbits and apolipoprotein E knockout rabbits were evaluated against New Zealand white wild-type rabbits. Evaluation of intracranial arteries was performed with vessel wall magnetic resonance imaging and pathological analysis, rating the presence and severity of disease in each segment. Two-tailed t-tests were performed to compare disease occurrence and severity prevalence among rabbit subtypes. Sensitivity and specificity were calculated to assess the diagnostic accuracy of vessel wall magnetic resonance imaging. RESULTS Seventeen rabbits (five Watanabe heritable hyperlipidemic, four apolipoprotein E knockout and eight New Zealand white) were analysed for a total of 51 artery segments. Eleven segments (five Watanabe heritable hyperlipidemic and six apolipoprotein E knockout) demonstrated intracranial atherosclerotic disease on pathology. Disease model animals had lesions more frequently than New Zealand white animals (P<0.001). The sensitivity and specificity of vessel wall magnetic resonance imaging for the detection of intracranial atherosclerotic disease were 68.8% and 95.2%, respectively. When excluding mild cases to assess vessel wall magnetic resonance imaging accuracy for detecting moderate to severe intracranial atherosclerotic disease lesions, sensitivity improved to 100% with unchanged specificity. CONCLUSION Intracranial atherosclerotic disease can be reliably produced and detected using 3T vessel wall magnetic resonance imaging-compatible Watanabe heritable hyperlipidemic and ApoE rabbit models. Further analysis is needed to characterize better the development and progression of the disease to correlate tissue-validated animal findings with those in human vessel wall magnetic resonance imaging studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Scott McNally
- Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, University of Utah, USA
| | | | - Seong-Eun Kim
- Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, University of Utah, USA
| | - Chuanzhuo Wang
- Department of Radiology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, China
| | - Shuping Wang
- Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, University of Utah, USA
| | | | - Dennis L Parker
- Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, University of Utah, USA
| | - Hediyeh Baradaran
- Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, University of Utah, USA
| | - Matthew D Alexander
- Department of Neurology, University of Utah, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Utah, USA
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