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Updated: Jun 27, 2026
Quantification of Atherosclerosis in Mice
Published on: June 12, 2019
Leucocyte cathepsin K affects atherosclerotic lesion composition and bone mineral density in low-density lipoprotein
Jian Guo1, Ilze Bot, Ramon de Nooijer
1Division of Biopharmaceutics, Leiden/Amsterdam Center for Drug Research , Gorlaeus Laboratories, Leiden University, Einsteinweg 55, 2333CC Leiden, The Netherlands.
Aims:
Cathepsin K (CatK), an established drug target for osteoporosis, has been reported to be upregulated in atherosclerotic lesions. Due to its proteolytic activity, CatK may influence the atherosclerotic lesion composition and stability. In this study, we investigated the potential role of leucocyte CatK in atherosclerotic plaque remodelling.
Methods And Results:
To assess the biological role of leucocyte CatK, we used the technique of bone marrow transplantation to selectively disrupt CatK in the haematopoietic system. Total bone marrow progenitor cells from CatK(+/+), CatK(+/-), and CatK(-/-) mice were transplanted into X-ray irradiated low-density lipoprotein receptor knockout (LDLr(-/-)) mice. The selective silencing of leucocyte CatK resulted in phenotypic changes in bone formation with an increased total bone mineral density in the CatK(-/-) chimeras and an effect of gene dosage. The absence of leucocyte CatK resulted in dramatically decreased collagen and increased macrophage content of the atherosclerotic lesions while lesion size was not affected. The atherosclerotic lesions also demonstrated less elastic lamina fragmentation and a significant increase in the apoptotic and necrotic area in plaques of mice transplanted with CatK(-/-) bone marrow.
Conclusion:
Leucocyte CatK is an important determinant of atherosclerotic plaque composition, vulnerability, and bone remodelling, rendering CatK an attractive target for pharmaceutical modulation in atherosclerosis and osteoporosis.
