Aortic Diameter, Intima-media Thickness and Blood Flow Doppler Parameters of Aorta, Renal Artery and Intrarenal Arteries in Hyperlipidemic Male Rabbits

	Aortic Diameter, Intima-media Thickness and Blood Flow Doppler Parameters of Aorta, Renal Artery and Intrarenal Arteries in Hyperlipidemic Male Rabbits
KUFA MEDICAL JOURNAL
Article 1, Volume 13, Issue 2, 2010, Pages 235-246
Authors
Hassan Zwain; PhD. UK;
Abstract
Background: Cholesterol is a lipidic, waxy steroid found in the cell membranes and transported in the blood plasma of all animals. It is an essential component of mammalian cell membranes, where it is required to establish proper membrane permeability and fluidity. Abnormally high cholesterol levels (hypercholesterolemia); that is higher concentrations of LDL and lower concentrations of functional HDL are strongly associated with cardiovascular disease because these promote atheroma development in arteries (atherosclerosis). High cholesterol fed rabbits as an animal “model” has frequently been used to study atherosclerosis .However reports on Doppler study of atherosclerotic effects on blood flow of different size arteries in the rabbit are lacking. Objectives: to assess the effect of cholesterol enriched diet on aortic diameter and intima-media thickness and blood flow velocities of the aorta, renal artery and intra-renal arteries in male rabbits. Materials and methods: This study was conducted on 16 male rabbits. The animals were randomly divided into two groups (8 rabbits per group), Rabbits in the first group fed normal chow diet and those in the second group fed with 2% cholesterol enriched diet for 12 weeks.. Blood samples were collected for measurement of serum lipids profile at the start and at the end of the study. Aortic diameter , its intima- media thickness and aortic, renal artery and intra-renal artery blood flow velocities were also measured by a triplex Doppler machine throughout. Results & Conclusions: Feeding rabbits with 2 % cholesterol enriched diet for 12 weeks results in a significant increase (P<0.05) in serum level of TC, TG, HDL, LDL and VLDL. Also there was a significant increase (P<0.05) in aortic diameter , intima-media thickness, resistive index, pulsatality index, renal artery and intra-renal arteies peak systolic velocity, resistive and pulsatality indices and renal aortic ratio in comparison to the normal control group. There was no significant change (P>0.05) in aortic peak systolic velocity and aortic, renal artery and intra-renal arteries end diastolic velocities. It was concluded that cholesterol enriched diet increased the vascular resistance and caused development of renal artery stenosis as indicated by the increase in aortic, renal artery and intra-renal arteries resistive and pulsatility indices and increase in renal artery peak systolic velocity and renal /aortic ratio
Keywords
aorta; Intima; media thickness; renal arteries; Atherosclerosis; Doppler; Rabbit

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