BACKGROUND The purpose of the present study was to investigate plasma lipid-independent mechanisms for the sex difference in the development of atherosclerosis. METHODS AND RESULTS In the first experiment, 20 male and 20 female rabbits were balloon-injured in the middle thoracic aorta and maintained at the same plasma cholesterol level of approximately 25 mmol/L by use of individualized chole...

Introduction: Nuts contain numerous beneficial nutritive and bioactive compounds like fatty acids, dietary fibbers, micronutrients, and phytochemicals that have shown favourable lipid-altering activity. Aim: To study the effects of nut (Pistachio or Almonds) consumption on lipid profiles of hypercholesterolemic rats. Materials and Methods: One hundred and eighty (180) adult male Sprague-Dawley ...

OBJECTIVE Hypercholesterolemia and hypertension are associated with aortic valve stenosis (AVS) in humans. We have examined aortic valve function, structure, and gene expression in hypercholesterolemic/hypertensive mice. APPROACH AND RESULTS Control, hypertensive, hypercholesterolemic (Apoe(-/-)), and hypercholesterolemic/hypertensive mice were studied. Severe aortic stenosis (echocardiograph...

BACKGROUND Resveratrol protects the cardiovascular system by a number of mechanisms, including antioxidant and anti-platelet activities. OBJECTIVE To assess the potential anti-inflammatory and antiatherogenic effects of resveratrol using rabbits fed a hypercholesterolemic diet (1% cholesterol). METHODS Twenty white male rabbits were selected and divided into two groups: control group (CG), ...

Activated platelets release potent vasoactive factors. Previous studies have focused on mechanisms by which vascular abnormalities lead to altered responses of atherosclerotic arteries. We tested the hypothesis that the activation of platelets from hypercholesterolemic humans produces abnormal vascular responses. Responses to intraluminal and abluminal activation of platelets from normal subjec...

Abstract Cowpea protein isolate (CPI) was subjected to various dry and wet heat pretreatments followed by sequential digestion with pepsin pancreatin; the undigested residues were isolated as indigestible cowpea proteins (ICPs). All ICPs exhibited in vitro bile acid-binding capacity but ICP from slow cooling-induced gelation had highest yield (68%) used for rat feeding experiments determine eff...

As hyperlipidemia has been associated with cardiovascular diseases, this study investigated the influence of probiotic-fermented camel and cow’s milk on blood lipid profiles in hypercholesterolemic rats. When tested, exhibited highest overall acceptance score flavor texture. Forty-eight male Wistar rats were divided into eight groups (n = 6). The first group served as normal control, while 2–8 ...

OBJECTIVE Several animal studies suggest that nitric oxide (NO) produced by the endothelium attenuates arterial cholesterol accumulation. In the present study we have asked the following questions: (1) is the regional variation in aortic cholesterol accumulation in hypercholesterolemic rabbits preceded by a regional variation in endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) activity in normocholesterolemic ra...

Hypercholesterolemia represents a high risk factor for frequent diseases and it has also been associated with poor semen quality that may lead to male infertility. The aim of this study was to analyze semen and sperm function in diet-induced hypercholesterolemic rabbits. Twelve adult White New Zealand male rabbits were fed ad libitum a control diet or a diet supplemented with 0.05% cholesterol....

BACKGROUND Hypercholesterolemia is a serious diseases associated with type-2 diabetes, atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disorders and liver diseases. Humans seek for safe herbal medication such as karela (Momordica charantia/bitter melon) to treat such disorders to avoid side effect of pharmacotherapies widely used. METHODS Forty male Wistar rats were divided into four equal groups; control gr...