CHANGES IN DISTRIBUTION OF GLYCOSAMINOGLYCANS DURING THE PROGRESSION OF CHOLESTEROL INDUCED ATHEROSCLEROSIS IN JAPANESE-QUAIL

The temporal and spatial distribution and relative concentration of th e proteoglycan glycosaminoglycan component were studied during the pro gression of atherosclerosis in the systemic arteries of Japanese quail selected for cholesterol induced atherosclerosis (CIA). The CIA quail were placed on either control or 0.5% added cholesterol diets at 3 mo nths of age. The major systemic arteries (dorsal aorta, right and left brachiocephalic) were collected at 1- or 2-week intervals over the 10 -week period of cholesterol feeding. In the cholesterol fed quail, alc ian blue staining of the dorsal aorta showed elevations of glycosamino glycans in regions of the artery with atherosclerotic plaque, beginnin g at the 6-week time point. By biochemical analysis, increases in glyc osaminoglycan relative concentration was detected at the 10-week time point. In addition to the change in glycosaminoglycan relative concent ration and distribution, the cholesterol fed animals also formed foam cells characteristic of atherosclerotic plaques. Therefore, the conclu sion reached was that the CIA line of Japanese quail is a valid animal model for the study of alterations in proteoglycan metabolism in athe rosclerotic plaques induced by hypercholesterolemia. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.