OBJECTIVE Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) is widely expressed in vessel walls, and it's activation by agonists showed beneficial effects in cardiovascular diseases. However, the role of endothelial cell (EC) PPARγ in atherogenesis is not fully understood. METHODS AND RESULTS To assess the contribution of endothelial-specific PPARγ in atherosclerosis, EC-specific PPARγ dis...

BACKGROUND Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a chronic neurodegenerative disorder and the most common form of dementia. The major molecular risk factor for late-onset AD is expression of the epsilon-4 allele of apolipoprotein E (apoE), the major cholesterol transporter in the brain. The low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) has the highest affinity for apoE and plays an important role in brain chol...

OBJECTIVE Low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) and proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) are opposing regulators of plasma LDL-cholesterol levels. The PCSK9 gene exhibits many single or compound polymorphisms within or among mammalian species. This is case between the SPRET/EiJ (SPRET) and C57BL/6J (B6) mouse strains. We examined whether these polymorphisms could be associate...

Increased baseline values of the acute-phase reactant C-reactive protein (CRP) are significantly associated with future cardiovascular disease, and some in vitro studies have claimed that human CRP (hCRP) has proatherogenic effects. in vivo studies in apolipoprotein E-deficient mouse models, however, have given conflicting results. We bred atherosclerosis-prone mice (Apob(100/100)Ldlr(-/-)), wh...

Background:Akey objective of theUKNational Institute forHealth andCare Excellence (NICE) pathway for diagnosis of familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is the identification of affected relatives of index cases through cascade screening. At present, there is no systematic appraisal of availablemethodological options to identify the appropriate diagnostic testing protocol that would allow cost-effe...

Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) results from mutations in the low density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) gene. We applied denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) to screen for sequence variations in the coding and splice site consensus sequences of the LDLR gene. For amplification of each exon by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), optimal pairs of primers were designed by the MELT 87 c...

Cholestatic hepatitis is frequently found in Niemann-Pick C (NPC) disease. We studied the influence of diet and the low density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR, Ldlr in mice, known to be the source of most of the stored cholesterol) on liver disease in the mouse model of NPC. Npc1-/- mice of both sexes, with or without the Ldlr knockout, were fed a 18% fat, 1% cholesterol ("high-fat") diet and were ...

Dyslipidemia plays crucial roles in the progression of diabetic nephropathy (DN). This study investigated the effects of high glucose on lipid accumulation in podocytes and explored its underlying mechanisms. Male db/m and db/db mice were fed a normal chow diet for 8 wk. Immortalised mouse podocytes were treated with or without high glucose for 24 h. The changes to the morphology and ultramicro...

BACKGROUND Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is a common autosomal dominant disorder with a frequency of 1 in 200 to 500 in most European populations. Mutations in LDLR, APOB and PCSK9 genes are known to cause FH. In this study, we analyzed the genetic spectrum of the disease in the understudied Polish population. MATERIALS AND METHODS 161 unrelated subjects with a clinical diagnosis of FH f...

Low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) and proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) play a pivotal role by regulating plasma low-density cholesterol (LDL-c) levels. Dihydromyricetin (DMY), the most abundant natural flavonoid in rattan tea, has proven anti-atherogenic effects, but underlying molecular mechanisms remain poorly understood. Therefore, we studied effects of DMY on LDLR...