muramidase and Aortic-Diseases

A total of 13 forty-day-old male Japanese quails had free access to a atherogenic diet containing 15% corn oil and 2% cholesterol or commercial basal diet for 3 months. Birds fed basal diet showed no significant intimal lesions. These birds had two types of cells, i.e. smooth muscle cell and fibroblast-like cell, in the tunica media of the ascending aorta. While fat-fed birds showed marked lipid-rich intimal lesions in the ascending aorta but not in the abdominal aorta. Some macrophage-derived foam cells, which were stained for lysozyme and OKM1, were demonstrated in the superficial portion of the thickened intima. The majority of the cells in the lipid-rich thickened intima showed ultrastructural character of fibroblast-like cells with or without lipid droplets. Alpha-1-antichymotrypsin was positive for fibroblast-like cells in the thickened intima but not for those in the tunica media of the ascending aorta. These results suggest that metaplasia of the medial fibroblast-like cells is responsible for the development of atherosclerosis in the quail.

Topics: alpha 1-Antichymotrypsin; Animals; Antigens, Surface; Aorta; Aortic Diseases; Arteriosclerosis; Coturnix; Diet, Atherogenic; Fibroblasts; Foam Cells; Immunohistochemistry; Male; Muramidase