Endothelial Cell Death and Intimal Foam Cell Accumulation in the Coronary Artery of Infected Hypercholesterolemic Minipigs

• Published in: Journal of cardiovascular translational research 2013-08, Vol.6 (4), p.579-587
• Main Authors: Birck, Malene M., Saraste, Antti, Hyttel, Poul, Odermarsky, Michal, Liuba, Petru, Saukko, Pekka, Hansen, Axel K., Pesonen, Erkki
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Apoptosis; Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering; Biomedicine; Cardiology; Caspase 3 - metabolism; Chlamydia Infections - complications; Chlamydia Infections - microbiology; Chlamydophila pneumoniae - pathogenicity; Coronary Artery Disease - etiology; Coronary Artery Disease - metabolism; Coronary Artery Disease - pathology; Coronary Vessels - metabolism; Coronary Vessels - pathology; Coronary Vessels - ultrastructure; Disease Models, Animal; Foam Cells - pathology; Foam Cells - ultrastructure; Human Genetics; Hypercholesterolemia - complications; In Situ Nick-End Labeling; Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype - pathogenicity; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; Necrosis; Neointima; Orthomyxoviridae Infections - complications; Orthomyxoviridae Infections - virology; Swine; Swine, Miniature; Tunica Intima - pathology; Tunica Intima - ultrastructure
• ISSN: 1937-5387; 1937-5395
• DOI: 10.1007/s12265-013-9463-2

Apoptosis of endothelial cells (ECs) has been suggested to play a role in atherosclerosis. We studied the synergism of hypercholesterolemia with Chlamydia pneumoniae and influenza virus infections on EC morphology and intimal changes in a minipig model. The coronary artery was excised at euthanasia (19 weeks of age) and serial sections were processed for the detection of EC apoptosis, histology, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies. There was a significantly higher number of TUNEL-positive ECs in infected compared to noninfected groups [0.2942 % (interquartile ranges (IR), 0.2941; n  = 26) versus 0 % (IR, 0; n  = 12), p