Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 8, 2026
Induction of Atherosclerotic Plaques Through Activation of Mineralocorticoid Receptors in Apolipoprotein E-deficient Mice
Published on: September 26, 2018
Dietary α-cyclodextrin reduces atherosclerosis and modifies gut flora in apolipoprotein E-deficient mice
Toshihiro Sakurai1,2, Akiko Sakurai1, Ye Chen3
1Lipoprotein Metabolism Section, Cardio-Pulmonary Branch, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Scope:
α-Cyclodextrin (α-CD), a cyclic polymer of glucose, has been shown to lower plasma cholesterol in animals and humans; however, its effect on atherosclerosis has not been previously described.
Methods And Results:
apoE-knockout mice were fed either low-fat diet (LFD; 5.2% fat, w/w), or Western high fat diet (21.2% fat) containing either no additions (WD), 1.5% α-CD (WDA); 1.5% β-CD (WDB); or 1.5% oligofructose-enriched inulin (WDI). Although plasma lipids were similar after 11 weeks on the WD vs. WDA diets, aortic atherosclerotic lesions were 65% less in mice on WDA compared to WD (P < 0.05), and similar to mice fed the LFD. No effect on atherosclerosis was observed for the other WD supplemented diets. By RNA-seq analysis of 16S rRNA, addition of α-CD to the WD resulted in significantly decreased cecal bacterial counts in genera Clostridium and Turicibacterium, and significantly increased Dehalobacteriaceae. At family level, Comamonadaceae significantly increased and Peptostreptococcaceae showed a negative trend. Several of these bacterial count changes correlated negatively with % atherosclerotic lesion and were associated with increased cecum weight and decreased plasma cholesterol levels.
Conclusion:
Addition of α-CD to the diet of apoE-knockout mice decreases atherosclerosis and is associated with changes in the gut flora.
