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Modelling hypercholesterolaemia in rats using high cholesterol diet
Luiza Ferracini Cunha1, Mariana Aubin Ongaratto2, Marcelo Endres2
1Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA), Porto Alegre, Brazil.
Insights
Hypercholesterolaemia, a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, involves complex genetic and lifestyle factors. This review examines Wistar rat models used to study hypercholesterolaemia, aiding in understanding its pathology and developing new therapeutics.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Cardiovascular Research
- Animal Models
Background:
- Hypercholesterolaemia is a complex condition with multifactorial causes, including genetic and lifestyle influences.
- It is a significant risk factor for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), contributing to millions of deaths annually.
- Understanding hypercholesterolaemia's pathobiology is crucial for developing novel therapeutics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the current understanding of human hypercholesterolaemia's metabolic profile.
- To comment on the lack of consensus regarding optimal hypercholesterolaemia induction protocols in animal models.
- To review experimental studies inducing hypercholesterolaemia in Wistar rats.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of experimental studies.
- Focus on studies utilizing Wistar rats for hypercholesterolaemia induction.
- Analysis of metabolic profiles and induction protocols.
Main Results:
- Wistar rats fed a hypercholesterolaemic diet serve as a viable animal model for human condition.
- Various induction protocols exist, with no single consensus method.
- All reviewed models successfully increased serum cholesterol levels.
Conclusions:
- Animal models, particularly Wistar rats, are valuable tools for elucidating hypercholesterolaemia pathobiology.
- Further research is needed to standardize induction protocols for consistent results.
- Understanding these models aids in the development of new therapeutic strategies for hypercholesterolaemia and associated CVDs.
Abstract:
Hypercholesterolaemia is a complex condition with multiple causes, including both lifestyle and genetic aspects. It is also a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), which are responsible for 172 million deaths/year. Although the reasons for hypercholesterolaemia are known, there are many critical questions that remain to be answered so that new therapeutics can be developed. In order to elucidate the pathobiology of this condition, animal models can mimic the pathology of human hypercholesterolaemia. One example of an animal model is induced by the hypercholesterolaemic diet in Wistar rats. The present review first summarizes the current understanding of the metabolic profile involved in hypercholesterolaemia in humans. Next it comments about the lack of consensus as to which hypercholesterolaemia induction protocol should be used. The present work aimed to review experimental studies that induced hypercholesterolaemia in Wistar rats it was not intended to judge the "best" model, since they all achieved the goal of inducing an increase in serum cholesterol.
