Study On Apoptosis And Effects Of Drugs In Rat Model With Atherosclerosis

Objective: Atherosclerosis as well as its complications are common cardiovascular diseases which threaten severely the health of human. Apoptosis (including endothelial cells, vascular smooth muscle cells and cardiomyocytes etc) plays an important role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis according to recent studys. The aim of this study is to demonstrate the relationship between apoptosis and the remodelings of vessels and heart, to certificate the protective effects on cardiomyocytes of cardiotrophin-1 and to evaluate the effects of simvastatin and irbesartan on apoptosis and the remodeling in rat models with atherosclerosis that were made by high-cholesterol diet, vitamin D₃ overload and endothelial denudation. Materials and Methods:1. Duplication of Atherosclerotic Rat Model: 50 male Wistar rats are devided randomly into five groups: normal control group; hyperlipidemia group; atherosclerosis group (vitamin D₃ intramuscular injection, endothelium denudation and high cholesterol diet); simvastatin group(atherosclerosis group with simvastatin 10mg/kg/d); irbesartan group(atherosclerosis group with irbesartan 50mg/kg/d). Every group has 10 rats.The study lasts for 12 weeks.2. Blood was drawn introvenous to separate serum for quantitition of serum lipids (LDL, HDL, TCH and TG) at 4 weeks, 8 weeks and 12 weeks respectively.3. After being fed for 12 weeks , the rats were executed to take specimens from aorta, heart and liver for HE staining and immunohistochemistry assay.4. Angiotensin II in plasm was observed by radioimmunoassay and cardiotrophin-1 was measured by ELISA.Results:...