Collagen characteristics and organization during the progression of cholesterol-induced atherosclerosis in Japanese quail

This study reports the concentration of collagen and its hydroxypyridinolin e crosslinks, collagen fibril organization in the dorsal aortas, and systol ic blood pressure during the progression of atherosclerosis in Japanese qua il selected for cholesterol-induced atherosclerosis, The quail were placed on either a control or 0.5% cholesterol-added diet at approximately 16 week s of age, The concentration of total collagen did not change in the control arteries during the course of the study, whereas at 5 and 10 weeks of chol esterol feeding, collagen levels decreased in the cholesterol-fed birds. Hy droxypyridinoline concentration increased during the duration of the study in the ho[cholesterol-fed birds and by 15 and 20 weeks of cholesterol feedi ng, levels were significantly increased over those observed in the control arteries. Transmission electron microscopy showed changes in the organizati on of collagen fibrils, Increased systolic blood pressure was noted beginni ng at 10 weeks of cholesterol feeding, which is suggestive of other systemi c changes induced by hypercholesterolemia. These results demonstrated remod eling of the collagen component of the dorsal aorta extracellular matrix du ring the progression of atherosclerosis and are suggestive of other systemi c cardiovascular system changes.