Cited 32 times since 2006 (1.8 per year) source: EuropePMC Arteriosclerosis, thrombosis, and vascular biology, Volume 26, Issue 11, 24 4 2006, Pages 2560-2566 Dual PPARalpha/gamma agonist tesaglitazar reduces atherosclerosis in insulin-resistant and hypercholesterolemic ApoE*3Leiden mice. Zadelaar AS, Boesten LS, Jukema JW, van Vlijmen BJ, Kooistra T, Emeis JJ, Lundholm E, Camejo G, Havekes LM
Objective
We investigated whether the dual PPARalpha/gamma agonist tesaglitazar has anti-atherogenic effects in ApoE*3Leiden mice with reduced insulin sensitivity.
Methods and results
ApoE*3Leiden transgenic mice were fed a high-fat (HF) insulin-resistance-inducing diet. One group received a high-cholesterol (HC) supplement (1% wt/wt; HC group). A second group received the same HC supplement along with tesaglitazar (T) 0.5 micromol/kg diet (T group). A third (control) group received a low-cholesterol (LC) supplement (0.1% wt/wt; LC group). Tesaglitazar decreased plasma cholesterol by 20% compared with the HC group; cholesterol levels were similar in the T and LC groups. Compared with the HC group, tesaglitazar caused a 92% reduction in atherosclerosis, whereas a 56% reduction was seen in the cholesterol-matched LC group. Furthermore, tesaglitazar treatment significantly reduced lesion number beyond that expected from cholesterol lowering and induced a shift to less severe lesions. Concomitantly, tesaglitazar reduced macrophage-rich and collagen areas. In addition, tesaglitazar reduced inflammatory markers, including plasma SAA levels, the number of adhering monocytes, and nuclear factor kappaB-activity in the vessel wall.
Conclusions
Tesaglitazar has anti-atherosclerotic effects in the mouse model that go beyond plasma cholesterol lowering, possibly caused by a combination of altered lipoprotein profiles and anti-inflammatory vascular effects.
