Histochemical detection and quantification of macrophages in rhesus and cynomolgus monkey atherosclerotic lesions

A detailed histochemical study of the macrophage involvement during experimental atherogenesis in rhesus and cynomolgus monkeys was performed. Aortic, carotid, and femoral artery lesions were examined in both species after 4, 8, and 12 months of atherogenic diet feeding. Macrophages were identified and quantified in the atherosclerotic lesions using acid lipase, acid esterase, beta-galactosidase, and cytochrome oxidase histochemical procedures. Morphometric quantitation revealed that the cynomolgus monkey arterial lesions were larger and consistently demonstrated a greater number of cells with characteristics of macrophages in the intimal, medial, and adventitial portion of the arteries when compared to the primarily intimal rhesus monkey lesions. Biochemical assays of aortic samples for acid lipase and acid esterase activity also showed consistently higher activities in the cynomolgus samples when compared to the rhesus samples. Average serum cholesterol levels were higher in the cynomolgus monkeys than in the rhesus monkeys, but the differences in the arterial lesions still existed when animals with overlapping cholesterol levels were compared. Macrophages and their associated activities predominated in experimental cynomolgus monkey atherosclerosis when it was compared to the rhesus disease process, which may be an explanation for some of the differences in atherogenesis reported in these two species.