Relationship Between Serum Sulfatides And Platelet Aggregation Function In Rabbits During High-fat Diet

Objective: Atherosclerosis is one of the most widespread conditions that seriously threaten human health and survival in today's society.Hyperlipidemia is a major risk factor for AS.Therefore,attention should be paid to the study and prevention of hyperlipidemia and AS.Studies have shown that platelets play an important role in the pathogenesis of AS.The activation and aggregation of platelets promote the development of AS,which is closely related to the occurrence of cardiovascular events in the future.Sulfatides,as a kind of glycosphingolipid,are present in serum as lipoproteins.Studies have shown that sulfatides have a dual effect of anti-coagulation and promotion of coagulation activity,they are found accumulated in the plaque of atherosclerosis.In view of this,the aim of this study is to explore the changes of sulfatides and platelet aggregation function as well as the relationship and the possible role between them in the process of atherogenesis induced by hyperlipidemia,so as to seek a new way to monitor or interfere with the process of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.Methods: Ten healthy male New Zealand rabbits were randomly divided into two groups with each group containing 5 rabbits.Control group was offered continued normal diet,while model group a high-fat diet containing0.5% cholesterol and 5% lard.The food intake was limited to 150g/d for each rabbit.The body weight,serum lipids and sulfatides levels as well as platelet aggregation function were measured at the end of the first,second,third and fourth month after treatment and before treatment in both groups.Four months later,the carotid artery was measured by ultrasound and then the animals were sacrificed.The rabbit aorta was collected and pathological slices were made and stained.The results were observed under a microscope.Results: The hyperlipidemia and atherosclerosis model were establishedsuccessfully.Model group had greatly increased serum total cholesterol(TC),low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C)and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C)compared with control group.Hematoxylin and eosin(HE)staining showed that the aortic intima was significantly thickened in the model group,filled with foam cells,and the vessel lumen was significantly narrowed.The frozen section of aorta with oil red O staining also showed marked accumulation of adipose tissue inside the arterial wall in model group.Ultrasound imaging showed that the wall of the carotid artery was rough in the model group,hyperechoic plaques were presented and the blood flow is filling detect.Platelet aggregation rates in model group showed the trend of first increasing and then decreasing with the extension of feeding time.Platelet aggregation rates were significantly higher than those before modeled.The level of serum sulfatides continued to increase with the prolongation of time in model group.There was a significantly negative correlation between the level of serum sulfatides and platelet aggregation function in model group.There was a significantly positive correlation between the levels of serum sulfatides and LDL-C in model group.Conclusions: In the process of gradual development of hyperlipidemia into atherosclerosis,the change of serum sulfatides may reflect the process of atherosclerosis to a certain extent and sulfatides may be expected to a novel predictive factor for future cardiovascular events.In the course of this process,the high reactivity of platelets significantly decreased,suggesting that gradual increase of the level of sulfatides may inhibit the platelet aggregation function to some extent.