Severe Atherosclerosis and Hypercholesterolemia in Mice Lacking Both the Melanocortin Type 4 Receptor and Low Density Lipoprotein Receptor.

ABSTRACT: Dysfunction of the melanocortin system can result in severe obesity accompanied with dyslipidemia and symptoms of the metabolic syndrome but the effect on vascular atherogenesis is not known. To study the impact of obesity and dyslipidemia on the cardiovascular system, we generated mice double-deficient for the melanocortin type 4 receptor (Mc4rmut mice) and the LDL receptor (Ldlr-/- mice). Mc4rmut mice develop obesity due to hyperphagia. Double-mutant mice (Mc4rmut;Ldlr-/-) exhibited massive increases in body weight, plasma cholesterol and triacylglycerol levels and developed atherosclerosis. Atherosclerotic lesion size was affected throughout the aortic root and brachiocephalic artery not only under semisynthetic, cholesterol-containing diet but also under cholesterol-free standard chow.

SUBMITTER: Lede V 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5193345 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature