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(Journal of Nutrition. 2001;131:10-20.)
© 2001 The American Society for Nutritional Sciences


Article

Guinea Pigs as Models for Cholesterol and Lipoprotein Metabolism

Maria Luz Fernandez1

Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut 06269-4017

1To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: maria-luz.fernandez{at}uconn.edu


    ABSTRACT
 TOP
 ABSTRACT
 INTRODUCTION
 Hepatic cholesterol metabolism
 Lipoprotein metabolism and...
 Effects of dietary factors...
 Exercise and lipoprotein...
 Drug treatment studies
 Gender and hormonal status
 Developmental studies
 Ascorbic acid and cardiovascular...
 Atherosclerosis
 Conclusions
 REFERENCES
 
Guinea pigs carry the majority of their plasma cholesterol in LDL, making them a unique animal model with which to study hepatic cholesterol and lipoprotein metabolism. In this review, the benefits and advantages of using this particular model are discussed. How dietary factors such as soluble fiber, cholesterol and fatty acids that vary in saturation and chain length affect hepatic cholesterol homeostasis and influence the synthesis, intravascular processing and catabolism of lipoproteins is reviewed. In addition, alterations in hepatic cholesterol metabolism and plasma lipoproteins as affected by treatment with cholestyramine or 3-hydroxyl-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors, exercise, marginal intake of vitamin C, ovariectomy (a model for menopause) and similarities to the human situation are addressed. A review of guinea pigs as models for early atherosclerosis development is also presented.


KEY WORDS: • Guinea pigs • lipoprotein metabolism • hepatic cholesterol metabolism • soluble fiber • atherosclerosis.


    INTRODUCTION
 TOP
 ABSTRACT
 INTRODUCTION
 Hepatic cholesterol metabolism
 Lipoprotein metabolism and...
 Effects of dietary factors...
 Exercise and lipoprotein...
 Drug treatment studies
 Gender and hormonal status
 Developmental studies
 Ascorbic acid and cardiovascular...
 Atherosclerosis
 Conclusions
 REFERENCES
 
The goal of this review is to provide insight into the benefits and advantages of using guinea pigs to explain how hepatic cholesterol and lipoprotein metabolisms are affected by dietary factors, drug treatment, marginal intake of Vitamin C, exercise, gender, development and menopause.

There is some controversy as to whether guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus) should be classified as rodents (Martignetti et al. 1993Citation , Noguchi et al. 1994Citation ). Although this issue is not relevant to the present discussion, there is one aspect of guinea pigs that makes them stand out from other rodents: the fact that they carry the majority of their cholesterol in LDL (Fernandez and McNamara 1989Citation ). This outstanding difference raises the question as to whether guinea pigs have other similarities to humans in cholesterol and lipoprotein metabolism. Researchers at our laboratory and other investigators have found that guinea pig cholesterol metabolism does indeed have some analogies to human cholesterol metabolism that merit discussion.

Some of these similarities include the following:

  1. Guinea pigs have high LDL-to-HDL ratios (Fernandez et al. 1990aCitation ).
  2. They have higher concentrations of free than of esterified cholesterol in the liver (Angelin et al. 1992Citation ).
  3. They have plasma cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP)2 (Ha et al. 1982Citation ), lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) (Douglas and Pownell 1991Citation ) and lipoprotein lipase (LPL) (Olivecrona and Bengsston-Olivecrona 1993Citation ) activities for intravascular processing of plasma lipoproteins.
  4. They exhibit comparable moderate rates of hepatic cholesterol synthesis (Reihner et al. 1990Citation ) and catabolism (Reihner et al. 1991Citation ).
  5. Similar to humans, the binding domain for the LDL receptor differentiates between normal and familial binding defective apolipoprotein (apo)B-100 (Corsini et al. 1992Citation ).
  6. Apo B mRNA editing in the liver is negligible (<1%) compared with 18–70% in other species (Greeve et al. 1993Citation ).
  7. They require dietary vitamin C (Sauberlich 1978Citation ).
  8. Females have higher HDL concentrations than males (Roy et al. 2000Citation ).
  9. Ovariectomized guinea pigs have a plasma lipid profile similar to that of postmenopausal women (Roy et al. 2000Citation ).
  10. During exercise in guinea pigs, plasma triacylglycerol (TAG) decreases and plasma HDL cholesterol (HDL-C) increases (McNamara et al. 1993Citation ).
  11. Guinea pigs respond to dietary interventions (Fernandez and McNamara 1992bCitation , 1992aCitation and 1995aCitation , He and Fernandez 1998aCitation ) and drug treatment (Berglund et al.1989Citation , Hikada et al. 1992Citation ) by lowering plasma LDL cholesterol (LDL-C)


    Hepatic cholesterol metabolism
 TOP
 ABSTRACT
 INTRODUCTION
 Hepatic cholesterol metabolism
 Lipoprotein metabolism and...
 Effects of dietary factors...
 Exercise and lipoprotein...
 Drug treatment studies
 Gender and hormonal status
 Developmental studies
 Ascorbic acid and cardiovascular...
 Atherosclerosis
 Conclusions
 REFERENCES
 
In contrast to rats (Swann et al. 1975Citation ), guinea pigs have moderate rates of hepatic cholesterol synthesis (Fernandez et al. 1990aCitation , McNamara 1984Citation ), esterification (Fernandez et al. 1995aCitation ) and catabolism (Fernandez 1995Citation ). However, hepatic HMG-CoA reductase, acyl coenzyme A cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT) and cholesterol 7{alpha}-hydroxylase (Cyp7) activities are modulated by diet, drug treatment and gender in guinea pigs.

HMG-CoA reductase (EC 1.1.1.34).

Dietary modifications that alter hepatic free cholesterol (FC) modulate the activity of the regulatory enzyme of cholesterol synthesis, HMG-CoA reductase. The first compensatory response to moderate concentrations of dietary cholesterol equivalent to an absorbed amount of half of the daily synthesis rate in guinea pigs is a significant down-regulation of HMG-CoA reductase activity (Lin et al. 1992Citation ). Further, HMG-CoA reductase is up-regulated when hepatic cholesterol concentrations are reduced as a result of the action of dietary soluble fiber in the intestinal lumen (Fernandez et al. 1994aCitation ). Results from these studies suggest that there might be a threshold of hepatic cholesterol concentrations and that when this is achieved, the immediate response is an up-regulation of cholesterol synthesis by increases in HMG-CoA reductase activity. In contrast, dietary fat saturation has only moderate effects on hepatic cholesterol synthesis in guinea pigs (Fernandez and McNamara 1994Citation , Ibrahim and McNamara 1988Citation ). The effects of dietary cholesterol and dietary pectin on HMG-CoA reductase activity in response to changes in hepatic FC concentrations are presented in Table 1Citation .


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Table 1. Hepatic 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase activity and hepatic free cholesterol concentrations in guinea pigs fed 15% corn oil and varying concentrations of dietary cholesterol or 0.25% cholesterol diet and varying concentrations of citrus pectin1

 
ACAT (EC 2.3.2.26).

ACAT is the intracellular enzyme responsible for catalyzing the esterification of cholesterol in various tissues, including the liver. We have observed that dietary interventions (Fernandez et al. 1994aCitation ) and drug treatment (Conde et al. 1996Citation ) modulate this enzyme activity. A very significant dose-response in ACAT activity to dietary pectin associated with parallel decreases in hepatic cholesterol has been demonstrated in guinea pigs fed increasing doses of citrus pectin (Fernandez et al. 1994aCitation ). There was a positive correlation (r = 0.82) between hepatic FC and ACAT activity, demonstrating that substrate availability is a major determinant of ACAT activity. Similarly, atorvastatin treatment reduced hepatic microsomal FC, which resulted in a parallel decrease in ACAT activity (Conde et al. 1996Citation ) (Fig. 1Citation ). Other dietary treatments that lower hepatic FC in microsomes (Vidal-Quintanar et al. 1997Citation ) or hepatic cholesterol (Ramjiganesh et al. 2000Citation ) have also been correlated with a decrease in ACAT activity.



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Figure 1. Decreases in hepatic acyl-CoA cholesteryl acyltransferase (ACAT) activity and microsomal free cholesterol (FC) in guinea pigs fed increasing doses of the HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor atorvastatin. There was a significant dose-response (r = -0.96, P < 0.001) for changes in ACAT activity and (r = -0.82, P < 0.01) for changes in microsomal free cholesterol. Adapted from Conde et al. (1996)Citation .

 
Dietary fat saturation and cholesterol amount alter hepatic ACAT activity in guinea pigs (Sun et al. 1999Citation ). Monounsaturated (MONO) fatty acids resulted in the highest ACAT activity compared with saturated (SAT) or polyunsaturated (PUFA) fatty acids. Increasing concentrations of dietary cholesterol resulted in parallel increases in hepatic ACAT activity and microsomal FC. After modification of microsomal lipid composition with FC/phosphatidylcholine (PC) treatment, ACAT activities remained significantly related to the FC-to-PC molar ratio (Sun et al. 1999Citation ), confirming previous findings that FC or FC/PC is a major regulator of ACAT activity (Vidal-Quintanar et al. 1997Citation ).

Cyp7 (EC 1.14.13.7).

The conversion of hepatic cholesterol to bile acids represents the major regulatory pathway by which the body eliminates excess cholesterol. Cholesterol hydroxylation at the 7{alpha} position is the initial and rate-limiting step in this process. Cyp7 presents a feedback inhibition by hepatic flux of bile acids in rats, guinea pigs and rabbits (Nguyen et al. 1999Citation ).

The activity of Cyp7 is up-regulated by soluble fiber in guinea pigs (Fernandez 1995Citation ), possibly as a compensatory response to interruption of the enterohepatic circulation of bile acids. In the hamster, psyllium (PSY) intake increases Cyp7 activity and mRNA abundance (Horton et al. 1994Citation ). In addition, significant decreases in plasma LDL-C have been observed in both hamsters and guinea pigs after PSY intake (Fernandez 1995Citation , Horton et al. 1994Citation ). These results suggest that soluble fiber has multiple sites of action in the liver and plasma compartment that contribute to the lowering of plasma LDL-C. The first modulating step in the whole process could be the up-regulation of Cyp7. In contrast, dietary cholesterol has no effect on hepatic Cyp7 in guinea pigs (Fernandez 1995Citation , Fernandez et al. 1995aCitation ) or hamsters (Horton et al. 1995Citation ).

The LDL receptor.

The LDL receptor plays a central role in the metabolism of cholesterol in humans and animals (Brown and Goldstein 1986Citation ). The expression of the LDL receptor gene in the liver is regulated by a feedback mechanism that involves hepatic cholesterol. When the demand for cholesterol increases, the liver cells express high concentrations of LDL receptor mRNA, and when cholesterol accumulates in the cell, the activity and expression of the LDL receptor are suppressed. In guinea pigs, an important mechanism that regulates plasma LDL-C in response to diet or drug treatment is the LDL or apoB/E receptor.

Intake of PUFA compared with SAT increases hepatic LDL maximal binding (Bmax) in vitro (Fernandez et al. 1992a,Citation 1992bCitation and 1993Citation , Fernandez and McNamara 1989Citation ) and receptor-mediated LDL fractional catabolic rate (FCR) in vivo (Fernandez et al. 1992a,Citation 1992bCitation and 1993Citation ), suggesting that up-regulation of apoB/E receptors is a significant mechanism by which PUFA decrease plasma LDL-C concentrations. Similarly, when intake of soluble fiber [either pectin (PE), PSY or guar gum (GG)] was compared with a control diet that contained cellulose, a significant increase in hepatic LDL receptors was observed, as well as increased rates of LDL turnover (Fernandez 1995Citation ). In agreement with these observations, a significant negative correlation was found between plasma LDL-C and hepatic LDL Bmax in female guinea pigs fed different sources of fiber with low and high cholesterol diets (r = -0.70, P < 0.01; Fernandez et al. 1995bCitation ) (Fig. 2Citation ).



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Figure 2. Correlation between plasma LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) concentrations and LDL receptor number (Bmax) in female guinea pigs fed control (cnt), pectin (pe), guar gum (gg) and psyllium (psy) diets in combination with low and high levels of dietary cholesterol. A significant negative correlation (r = -0.70, P < 0.01) was found. Adapted from Fernandez et al. (1995b)Citation .

 

    Lipoprotein metabolism and processing in the intravascular compartment
 TOP
 ABSTRACT
 INTRODUCTION
 Hepatic cholesterol metabolism
 Lipoprotein metabolism and...
 Effects of dietary factors...
 Exercise and lipoprotein...
 Drug treatment studies
 Gender and hormonal status
 Developmental studies
 Ascorbic acid and cardiovascular...
 Atherosclerosis
 Conclusions
 REFERENCES
 
VLDL.

Dietary fat saturation (Abdel-Fattah et al. 1995Citation ), soluble fiber (Fernandez et al. 1997aCitation ) and simple carbohydrate intake (Fernandez et al. 1995cCitation ) influence the secretion rate of VLDL and affect the composition of nascent VLDL in guinea pigs. Soluble fiber intake results in a slower secretion of VLDL apoB, and the nascent particles are larger. In contrast, both a high SAT diet and a diet high in sucrose result in a faster secretion rate of smaller VLDL particles rich in CE compared with a PUFA diet or a diet rich in complex carbohydrates (Abdel-Fattah et al. 1995Citation , Fernandez et al. 1995cCitation ).

In agreement with studies in humans (Grundy 1996Citation ), guinea pigs fed diets rich in complex carbohydrates have lower plasma TAG and VLDL cholesterol concentrations than those fed diets rich in simple carbohydrates (Fernandez et al. 1996aCitation ). Hepatic VLDL TAG secretion rates were not affected by carbohydrate type after the intravenous injection of Triton WR 1339, a detergent that blocks the action of LPL, which results in TAG accumulation in plasma. However, the rate of apoB secretion was 1.9-fold higher in sucrose-fed animals (P < 0.02), which explains the higher concentrations of plasma TAG observed in guinea pigs fed simple carbohydrates (Fernandez et al. 1995cCitation and 1996bCitation ).

CETP and LCAT (2.3.1.43).

Dietary soluble fiber (Fernandez et al. 1997Citation ), intake of complex carbohydrates (Fernandez et al. 1995bCitation ) and drug treatment (Conde et al. 1996Citation ) result in significant alterations in the composition of plasma lipoproteins, which may be related to altered CETP activity. Guinea pigs treated with 1, 3, 10, 20 and 40 mg atorvastatin/d had lower CETP activity than those fed the control diet (0 mg atorvastatin) (Conde et al. 1996Citation ). The lower CETP activity in guinea pigs fed soluble fiber was related to the lower concentration of CE in VLDL, which has a lower rate of conversion into LDL and is removed faster from plasma (Fernandez et al. 1997aCitation ).

LCAT plays a major role in the esterification process in the plasma compartment. When guinea pigs are fed diets low in cholesterol, the secreted nascent VLDL has a negligible amount of CE (Abdel-Fattah et al. 1995Citation ). In contrast, the mature VLDL derived from guinea pigs fed low cholesterol has ~10% CE (Fernandez et al. 1998Citation ). In agreement with our observations, Barter et al. (1977)Citation found that the composition of guinea pig VLDL resembles that of LDL, which suggests that, like humans, guinea pig CE in VLDL is mostly derived from LCAT activity. Guinea pigs fed 35 or 45% total calories from fat had higher LCAT activity than those fed 10 or 19% total calories from fat, which correlated with the higher VLDL-C concentrations observed in the former compared with the latter groups (Fernandez et al. 1995dCitation ). Thus, CE in VLDL from guinea pigs may be derived from two sources: LCAT activity and CETP-mediated CE transfer. However, ACAT activity may also contribute to the formation of CE in VLDL (Fernandez and McNamara 1994Citation ), as discussed later.

LPL (3.1.1.34) and hepatic lipase (HL) (3.1.1.3).

The lipase gene family is made up of three genes that share structural similarities and are derived from a common ancestral gene (Hide et al. 1992Citation ). This family includes LPL, HL and the digestive enzyme pancreatic lipase. In humans, LPL activity corresponds to two thirds of post–heparin lipase activity whereas HL constitutes approximately one third (Olivecrona and Bengstton-Olivecrona 1993Citation ). Although earlier studies reported the absence of HL in guinea pigs (Yamada et al. 1979Citation ), Wallinder et al. (1981)Citation demonstrated lipase activity in guinea pig postheparin plasma with the characteristics of HL. In later studies, HL activity was shown to be up-regulated in guinea pigs fed high cholesterol diets (Heller 1983Citation ). In guinea pigs, similar to humans, HL activity is lower than LPL activity (Yin et al. 1999Citation ).

A major step in the metabolism of TAG-rich lipoproteins is hydrolysis of most of their TAG by LPL. A characteristic feature of LPL is that apoC-II enhances the activity of this enzyme (Jackson et al. 1977Citation ). Earlier studies postulated that guinea pigs lacked apoC-II in plasma (Shirai et al. 1983Citation ); however, Wallinder et al. (1979)Citation demonstrated the presence of an activator for LPL in guinea pig VLDL that hydrolyzed this lipoprotein rapidly. Later, Andersson et al. (1991)Citation conclusively demonstrated the presence of apoC-II in plasma and, with a human apoC-II cDNA probe, they identified the mRNA species in guinea pig liver. Andersson et al. (1997)Citation also demonstrated that the low stimulation of LPL by guinea pig plasma was due to lower absolute concentrations of apoC-II and the presence of apoC-II containing LDL that had an inhibitory effect on LPL activity. In contrast, apoC-III has an important role in the inhibition of LPL. The cDNA of guinea pig apoC-III was cloned and sequenced (Yin and Olivecrona 1999Citation ). The two most conserved areas of guinea pig apoC-III were found in residues 16–33 and 50–69, which have been predicted to form amphipathic helices assumed to play important roles in the inhibition of LPL.

LPL activity is modulated in guinea pigs by food deprivation (Sem and Olivecrona 1986Citation ) and by dietary fat being higher in the dietary regimens that result in lower concentrations of plasma LDL-C. For example, a diet rich in PUFA resulted in higher LPL activity compared with a diet rich in SAT (Cryer et al. 1978Citation ). Similarly, rapeseed oil intake resulted in lower plasma LDL-C concentrations compared with intake of either olive oil or palm oil, and lower LDL-C also correlated with higher LPL activity (Fernandez et al. 1996bCitation ).

LDL.

Various animal models have been used to determine the effects of diet on lipoprotein concentration and metabolism. Caution must be exercised in the interpretation of some of these studies because animal species can vary greatly in the distribution of plasma cholesterol among lipoproteins and be totally different from humans (Nicolosi 1997Citation ). However, dietary modifications (Kris-Etherton and Yu-Poth 1997Citation ) and drug treatment (Nawrocki et al. 1995Citation ) that alter LDL-C concentrations in humans result in similar alterations in guinea pigs (Fernandez et al. 1999Citation ). Because guinea pigs carry the majority of their cholesterol in LDL, this is not a surprising finding. How dietary modifications and drug treatment affect cholesterol and lipoprotein metabolism in guinea pigs is discussed later.

Earlier studies by Chapman et al. (1972)Citation reported evidence that LDL particles are formed from serum lipoproteins and are not secreted directly into the plasma pool by the liver. Later, Abdel-Fattah et al. (1995)Citation used Triton WR 1339 to measure the effects of dietary fat saturation on VLDL secretion and demonstrated that LDL apoB specific radioactivity was unchanged over time. These results are consistent with the complete blockage of the conversion of VLDL to LDL and the absence of any direct secretion of LDL apoB in guinea pigs.

Smaller LDL subfractions have been shown to disappear from circulation faster in guinea pigs (Fernandez 1995Citation , Fernandez et al. 1992aCitation and 1993Citation , Swinkels et al. 1988Citation ). Swinkels et al. (1988)Citation isolated two human LDL subfractions with densities of 1.023–1.034 and 1.036–1.041 kg/L, respectively. When they were injected into guinea pigs, a faster receptor-mediated uptake was observed for the smaller fraction. Similarly, we have reported faster clearance rates of smaller LDL induced by PUFA (Fernandez et al. 1992aCitation and 1993Citation ) or soluble fiber intake (Fernandez 1995Citation ). In contrast, cholestyramine and lovastatin treatment, which results in smaller LDL with significant compositional changes compared with LDL derived from control guinea pigs, had a slower FCR than did control LDL (Berglund et al. 1989Citation , Witztum et al. 1985Citation ).

HDL.

HDL are present in low concentrations in guinea pig plasma (Fernandez et al. 1994bCitation , Fernandez and McNamara 1991Citation , He and Fernandez 1998bCitation ). ApoAI is the major apolipoprotein in guinea pig HDL (Fernandez and McNamara 1990Citation , Guo et al. 1977Citation ). Although there are some differences in composition, guinea pig apoA-I is as potent as human apoA-I for activating purified LCAT derived from human plasma (Guo et al. 1977Citation ). Few dietary and drug manipulations have been shown to alter plasma HDL-C concentrations in guinea pigs. Intake of 0.33% dietary cholesterol, which is equivalent to absorbed dietary cholesterol that is 200% of the daily endogenous cholesterol synthesis in these animals, significantly increased plasma HDL-C (Lin et al. 1995Citation ). Simvastatin treatment (Matsunaga et al. 1991Citation ), exercise (McNamara et al. 1993Citation ) and replacement of marginal with adequate intakes of vitamin C (Montano et al. 1998Citation ) have also been shown to increase plasma HDL-C concentrations in guinea pigs.


    Effects of dietary factors on cholesterol and lipoprotein metabolism
 TOP
 ABSTRACT
 INTRODUCTION
 Hepatic cholesterol metabolism
 Lipoprotein metabolism and...
 Effects of dietary factors...
 Exercise and lipoprotein...
 Drug treatment studies
 Gender and hormonal status
 Developmental studies
 Ascorbic acid and cardiovascular...
 Atherosclerosis
 Conclusions
 REFERENCES
 
Dietary fat.

Effects of fatty acids varying in chain length and degree of saturation on cholesterol and lipoprotein metabolism have been studied in guinea pigs. Diets high in PUFA [corn oil (CO)] lower plasma LDL-C concentrations compared with highly SAT palm kernel oil (PK), which is rich in short-chain fatty acids, or SAT lard, which is rich in long-chain fatty acids (Abdel-Fattah et al. 1995Citation , Fernandez et al. 1992aCitation and 1993Citation ). Numerous aspects of lipoprotein metabolism modulated by dietary fatty acids accounted for the observed changes in plasma LDL-C. For instance, guinea pigs fed the PK diet had the highest apoB secretion rate (Abdel-Fattah et al. 1995Citation ). The PK group also exhibited the slowest LDL FCR in vivo. In contrast, guinea pigs fed the CO diet had the fastest LDL FCR and the highest number of hepatic LDL receptors (Fernandez et al. 1993Citation ). Intake of CO also resulted in the smallest mature VLDL particle, as measured by electron microscopy (Abdel-Fattah et al. 1998Citation ).

In addition, significant differences in LDL composition have been observed in guinea pigs fed PK, lard or CO diets, which may have metabolic implications. Guinea pigs fed SAT have CE-enriched LDL, which are associated with higher concentrations of LDL-C. In contrast, guinea pigs fed PUFA diets have small CE-poor LDL particles with 1.5 times faster LDL turnover in plasma than the larger LDL from guinea pigs fed SAT fat (Fernandez et al. 1993Citation ).

The effects on hepatic enzyme activity of fatty acids that vary in saturation and chain length have been evaluated in guinea pigs (Fernandez and McNamara 1994cCitation ). Guinea pigs fed the PK diet had the highest plasma LDL-C, followed by those fed palm oil rich in palmitic acid. CO intake resulted in the lowest plasma LDL-C concentrations. HMG-CoA reductase activity varied among groups and was independent of plasma LDL-C. In contrast, ACAT activity exhibited a positive correlation with plasma LDL-C concentrations. Two possibilities may account for these correlations: 1) ACAT activity determines rates of incorporation of CE into VLDL, which is subsequently converted into LDL; and 2) ACAT activity changes with the rate of hepatic cholesterol influx. In support of the first possibility, hypercholesterolemic diets are related to the production of a greater number of larger LDL particles in African green monkeys (Carr et al. 1992Citation ) and in guinea pigs (Fernandez et al. 1993Citation ). The greater number of CE molecules incorporated into newly secreted lipoproteins has been correlated with increased ACAT and with a greater number of atherosclerotic lesions in African green monkeys (Carr et al. 1992Citation ). In support of the second possibility, dietary fat saturation and chain length affect LDL absolute catabolic rate (Fernandez et al. 1992aCitation and 1992bCitation ). In a steady-state condition, LDL flux equals total catabolic rate and, assuming 80% LDL uptake by the liver, guinea pigs having the greatest influx (PK-fed animals) also had the highest ACAT activity. Similar results supporting both theories have been reported for guinea pigs fed low (2.5%) or high (25%) fat diets (Romero and Fernandez 1996Citation ). A comparison of different parameters of cholesterol and lipoprotein metabolism, which account for the hypocholesterolemic effects of PUFA versus SAT diets, is presented in Table 2Citation .


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Table 2. Effects of a polyunsaturated fatty acid diet (corn oil), a diet high in short-chain fatty acids (palm kernel oil) and a diet high in long-chain fatty acids (lard) on hepatic cholesterol and lipoprotein metabolism1

 
These studies demonstrate that the mechanisms by which different fatty acids alter lipoprotein concentration and composition, and possibly atherosclerotic events, are related to specific effects of these fatty acids on hepatic cholesterol homeostasis, VLDL secretion, alterations in the intravascular compartment and LDL catabolic rates. In addition, the cholesterolemic response of guinea pigs to dietary fatty acids is similar to reports from clinical studies (Nicolosi 1997Citation ), and is in agreement with proposed mechanisms reported in studies in humans (Cortese et al. 1983Citation , Turner et al. 1981Citation ).

Dietary cholesterol.

Earlier reports of the deleterious effects of dietary cholesterol on guinea pigs, including hemolytic anemia characterized by accelerated destruction of the erythrocytes (Puppione et al. 1971Citation ) and death before considerable plaques developed, precluded the use of guinea pigs as models of cholesterol and lipoprotein metabolism. In addition, these reports focused on the appearance of abnormal lipoproteins and changes in lipid metabolism, which were postulated to be species specific (Guo et al. 1982Citation , Meng et al. 1979Citation , Ostwald and Shannon 1964Citation , Sarted et al. 1972). These carefully controlled studies failed to stress that the amount of cholesterol provided to guinea pigs was 1–2%, which, based on our careful calculations, is equivalent to 7500–15,000 mg cholesterol/d in humans. Thus, remarks concerning these earlier studies have to be taken with caution and interpretation of the results must be made with the consideration that these experiments cannot possibly have any clinical relevance.

The effects of dietary cholesterol on plasma lipids, lipoprotein composition, hepatic LDL receptors and HDL metabolism have been evaluated in guinea pigs fed 0.08, 0.17 or 0.33% dietary cholesterol, which is equivalent to 600-2500 mg cholesterol/d in humans (Lin et al. 1992, 1994 and 1995Citation Citation Citation ). These concentrations of dietary cholesterol correspond to an amount of absorbed cholesterol equal to half, one time and two times the endogenous cholesterol synthesis in guinea pigs (Lin et al. 1992Citation ). Increasing the concentration of dietary cholesterol resulted in a dose-dependent increase in plasma cholesterol associated with the LDL fraction, which was independent of the dietary fat level. HMG-CoA reductase activity was significantly down-regulated with an absorbed amount equivalent to half the endogenous cholesterol synthesis (0.08% dietary cholesterol) as a first compensatory mechanism. The amount of cholesterol in the liver was also increased in a dose-dependent manner as the concentration of dietary cholesterol increased (Lin et al. 1992Citation ) (Table 1)Citation . The hepatic LDL receptor number was measured by incubating increasing concentrations of 125I-LDL with hepatic membranes, and the number of receptors was decreased as the amount of dietary cholesterol increased (Lin et al. 1994Citation ).

In addition, guinea pigs can be hyporesponders or hyperresponders to dietary cholesterol (Fernandez et al. 1990bCitation ), demonstrating that the responses to dietary cholesterol are highly individualized, in agreement with clinical studies (McNamara et al. 1987Citation ). Our laboratory has also demonstrated that guinea pigs present early atherosclerotic development and fatty streak accumulation after 12 wk when challenged with amounts of dietary cholesterol in the range of 2000 mg/d consumption by humans (Cos et al. 2000Citation ).

Dietary soluble fiber.

The effectiveness of several types of soluble fiber in reducing plasma LDL-C concentrations and their specific effects on hepatic cholesterol and lipoprotein metabolisms have been studied in guinea pigs. Prickly pear (Opuntia sp.), a plant commonly grown in Mexico, has been traditionally used for diabetes treatment and as a hypocholesterolemic agent. Studies were carried out with pectin isolated from this plant (PPP) to test its potential properties in lowering plasma cholesterol (Fernandez et al. 1990b,Citation 1992bCitation and 1994dCitation ). Guinea pigs were fed hypercholesterolemic diets containing 0, 1 or 2.5% PPP, and plasma lipids and some metabolic parameters were compared. Plasma LDL-C was 33% lower in guinea pigs fed the PPP diet compared with the control group. The hepatic apoB/E receptor was 60% higher in guinea pigs fed the PPP diets, which was in agreement with the twofold faster receptor-mediated LDL FCR observed in guinea pigs fed this type of fiber. Although a 46% reduction in hepatic free cholesterol was observed, HMG-CoA reductase and ACAT activities were not altered by PPP (Fernandez et al. 1994dCitation ).

In another study, guinea pigs were fed increasing concentrations of pectin (PE) (0, 2.5, 5, 7.5, 10 and 12.5%) with low (LC, 0.04%) or high (HC, 0.25%) concentrations of dietary cholesterol (Fernandez et al. 1994aCitation ). Guinea pigs fed LC had lower concentrations of plasma LDL-C at 10 and 12.5% PE compared with controls. In contrast, guinea pigs fed HC exhibited a PE dose–related decrease in plasma LDL-C and a PE dose–dependent increase in hepatic LDL receptors. HMG-CoA reductase activity was suppressed by high dietary cholesterol and only intake of 12.5% PE reversed this suppression. Guinea pigs fed 12.5% PE with HC diets had a complete reversal of hyperlipidemia because plasma LDL-C and hepatic cholesterol concentrations were similar to those of animals fed LC.

In other fiber studies, guinea pigs were fed either GG (Fernandez et al. 1995eCitation ) or PSY (Fernandez et al. 1995aCitation ). Compared with the control diet, intake of GG resulted in lower plasma LDL-C, a lower LDL cholesteryl ester-to-protein ratio, and lower hepatic cholesterol concentrations and ACAT activity, whereas both HMG-CoA reductase activity and hepatic LDL receptors were up-regulated (Fernandez et al. 1995dCitation ). Plasma LDL-C concentrations were 30 and 54% lower and hepatic cholesterol was reduced an average of 25%, but hepatic HMG-CoA reductase activity was 120% higher due to PSY intake. In addition, PSY reduced hepatic ACAT activity and up-regulated LDL receptors and Cyp7 (Fernandez 1995Citation ). Some of the parameters contributing to the lowering of plasma LDL-C by PSY are presented in Table 3Citation . Similar to reports in humans (Everson et al. 1992Citation ), PSY did not affect cholesterol absorption but, rather, induced fecal bile acid secretion, as suggested by increased hepatic Cyp7 activity (Fernandez 1995Citation ). In addition, decreased susceptibility of LDL to oxidation has been reported in guinea pigs fed soluble fiber (either PE or PSY) compared with guinea pigs fed a control diet (Vergara-Jimenez et al. 1999Citation ), suggesting that the smaller CE-poor LDL particles induced by fiber intake are less susceptible to oxidation. PE and PSY in combination with high fat diets have also been shown to reduce the apoB secretion rate and to increase LDL turnover (Vergara-Jimenez et al. 1998Citation ).


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Table 3. Variables of lipoprotein metabolism in guinea pigs affected by psyllium intake

 
Although the extent of the hypocholesterolemic response to dietary soluble fiber may vary depending on the fiber source, there are some general aspects of hepatic and cholesterol metabolism that are consistent for all soluble fiber sources. Soluble fiber intake reduces hepatic cholesterol pools generated by the decreased delivery of cholesterol to the liver through the chylomicron remnant or by up-regulation of Cyp7 as a response to the interruption of enterohepatic circulation of bile acids (Fernandez 1995Citation ). This generates a negative balance of hepatic cholesterol, which results in up-regulation of HMG-CoA reductase and hepatic apoB/E receptors and down-regulation of ACAT activity. These alterations in hepatic cholesterol homeostasis are correlated with decreases in the number of secreted VLDL, faster VLDL removal from the plasma compartment, decreased conversion of VLDL to LDL and increases in LDL apoB FCR. In addition, CETP activity is reduced (Fernandez et al. 1997aCitation ). All of these alterations in hepatic cholesterol metabolism result in the known effect of soluble fiber of reducing plasma LDL-C.


    Exercise and lipoprotein metabolism
 TOP
 ABSTRACT
 INTRODUCTION
 Hepatic cholesterol metabolism
 Lipoprotein metabolism and...
 Effects of dietary factors...
 Exercise and lipoprotein...
 Drug treatment studies
 Gender and hormonal status
 Developmental studies
 Ascorbic acid and cardiovascular...
 Atherosclerosis
 Conclusions
 REFERENCES
 
The beneficial effect of exercise on plasma lipoproteins, which results in decreases in plasma TAG and increases in HDL-C, is well documented (Sustin and Haskel 1994). Guinea pigs that ran on a rodent treadmill at a rate of 33.3 rpm for 30–40 min for a 6-wk period exhibited lower plasma TAG and higher HDL-C concentrations than did sedentary animals (Table 4Citation ).


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Table 4. Plasma lipids and other variables of lipoprotein metabolism in sedentary and exercised guinea pigs

 
Prolonged exercise lowers fasting plasma TAG concentrations (Sayard and Bouchard 1990Citation ). Exercise training increases LPL activity in plasma and in parenchymal cells, suggesting that exercise has a role in increasing the capacity to clear TAG from circulation and that LPL is involved in the restoration of muscle TAG stores reduced by exercise (Oscai et al. 1990Citation ). In addition, adipose tissue has increased LPL activity after exercise (Savard and Bouchard 1990Citation ). In agreement with human studies, exercised guinea pigs have been shown to have greater LPL activity in both heart and adipose tissue (McNamara et al. 1993Citation ) (Table 4)Citation .

Significant regression and less progression of coronary atherosclerosis have been documented for patients treated with diet and exercise compared with usual-care control patients (Schlierf et al. 1995Citation ). These results were correlated with significant decreases in plasma LDL-C and TAG in the treated group. We have demonstrated that plasma lipid changes due to exercise in guinea pigs are similar to those in humans and that these animals develop atherosclerosis (Cos et al. 2000Citation ). Based on these observations, the guinea pig could be an appropriate model to further evaluate the beneficial effects of exercise in the treatment of coronary heart disease.


    Drug treatment studies
 TOP
 ABSTRACT
 INTRODUCTION
 Hepatic cholesterol metabolism
 Lipoprotein metabolism and...
 Effects of dietary factors...
 Exercise and lipoprotein...
 Drug treatment studies
 Gender and hormonal status
 Developmental studies
 Ascorbic acid and cardiovascular...
 Atherosclerosis
 Conclusions
 REFERENCES
 
Guinea pigs have been used as models to study the effects of drugs on plasma cholesterol and to clarify the hypocholesterolemic mechanisms of some drugs, including cholestyramine (Witztum et al. 1985Citation ), probucol (Hikada et al. 1992Citation ), ACAT inhibitors (Krause et al. 1993Citation ), HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors such as pravastatin (Matsunaga et al. 1994Citation ), simvastatin (Conde et al. 1999a and 1999bCitation Citation ), lovastatin (Berglund et al. 1989Citation , Krause et al. 1994Citation , Krause and Newton 1991Citation ) and atorvastatin (Conde et al. 1996, 1999a and 1999b).

Cholestyramine has a potent hypocholesterolemic effect in guinea pigs, reducing plasma LDL-C concentrations by 55–75% (Fernandez et al. 2000Citation ). Witztum et al. (1985)Citation measured cholestyramine effects on LDL size and composition and how these affected LDL FCR. Their findings suggest that LDL from cholestyramine-treated guinea pigs, which were smaller in size, had a slower turnover in plasma than did LDL derived from controls. The plasma LDL-C lowering by cholestyramine was due to increases in the LDL receptor in treated guinea pigs, suggesting that compositional changes in LDL have profound metabolic consequences.

Guinea pigs treated with reductase inhibitors exhibited significant decreases in plasma LDL-C concentrations (Conde et al. 1996 and 1999aCitation Citation , Matsunaga et al. 1994Citation ). Most of these reductase inhibitors have shown that increases in the LDL receptor represent a major mechanism for the observed hypocholesterolimia (Berglund et al. 1989Citation , Conde et al. 1996 and 1999aCitation Citation , Matsunaga et al. 1994Citation ). Lovastatin therapy has been shown to increase hepatic LDL receptor activity in guinea pigs, and the compositional changes induced by treatment with this reductase inhibitor had a significant effect on the removal of LDL from plasma (Berglund et al. 1989Citation ). LDL from lovastatin-treated guinea pigs had a slower LDL turnover compared with control LDL. When these studies were repeated in subjects with hyperlipidemia, results similar to those reported for guinea pigs were found: a decrease in particle affinity for the receptor and increases in receptor activity (Berglund et al. 1998Citation ). In our studies with atorvastatin, treatment with this reductase inhibitor decreased secretion of apoB and increased hepatic apoB/E receptors (Conde et al. 1996 and 1999aCitation Citation ). Our results are in total agreement with the reported mechanisms of LDL-C lowering in hyperlipidemic individuals treated with lovastatin (Berglund et al. 1998Citation ), confirming the suitability of guinea pigs for mimicking metabolic alterations in plasma lipoproteins induced by drug treatment.


    Gender and hormonal status
 TOP
 ABSTRACT
 INTRODUCTION
 Hepatic cholesterol metabolism
 Lipoprotein metabolism and...
 Effects of dietary factors...
 Exercise and lipoprotein...
 Drug treatment studies
 Gender and hormonal status
 Developmental studies
 Ascorbic acid and cardiovascular...
 Atherosclerosis
 Conclusions
 REFERENCES
 
Results from the Framingham Heart Study have shown that high plasma TAG and low plasma HDL-C concentrations are highly associated with cardiovascular disease risk in women, whereas for men the major risk factor is elevated concentrations of plasma LDL-C (Castelli et al. 1988Citation ). Studies have shown that responses to dietary factors may differ between men and women (Cobb et al. 1993Citation ). In addition, postmenopausal women have significantly greater risk factors for heart disease due to increased plasma LDL-C, apoB and TAG concentrations (Bonithon-Kopp et al. 1990Citation ). Based on these observations, it is important to have an animal model with gender-associated responses to diet that are similar to humans. In addition, this model should present similar detrimental changes in the lipoprotein profile in the absence of estrogen, as occurs in postmenopausal women.

Female guinea pigs are more responsive to dietary cholesterol than are males (Fernandez et al. 1995eCitation ), which is in agreement with reported observations in humans (Clifton et al. 1995Citation ). In addition, in females, fiber does not alter the regulatory enzymes of hepatic cholesterol metabolism, as is the case in males (Fernandez et al. 1995bCitation ). However, a slower apoB secretion rate and a faster LDL FCR were observed in females as compared with males (Shen et al. 1998Citation ), indicating important differences in the gender response to dietary treatments. In addition, we have observed that female guinea pigs have higher HDL-C concentrations than do males (Roy et al. 2000Citation ).

In a recent study using male, female and ovariectomized guinea pigs, several important findings emerged that reinforce the suitability of ovariectomized guinea pigs to mimic human menopause. Ovariectomized guinea pigs had higher concentrations of plasma TAG than did either males or females, higher concentrations of LDL-C and a more detrimental lipoprotein profile overall (Roy et al. 2000Citation ). In addition, ovariectomized guinea pigs exhibited a higher susceptibility of LDL to oxidize compared with intact females. It has been shown that estrogen exerts a protective effect against free radical formation (Sack et al. 1994Citation ), which might explain the higher susceptibility of LDL to oxidize in the ovariectomized guinea pigs. Gender and hormonal status effects on early atherosclerosis development were also evaluated in guinea pigs. Male guinea pigs had the greatest fatty streak accumulations in aortas, followed by ovariectomized animals; females had the least lesion involvement (P < 0.001) (Cos et al. 2000Citation ).


    Developmental studies
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 ABSTRACT
 INTRODUCTION
 Hepatic cholesterol metabolism
 Lipoprotein metabolism and...
 Effects of dietary factors...
 Exercise and lipoprotein...
 Drug treatment studies
 Gender and hormonal status
 Developmental studies
 Ascorbic acid and cardiovascular...
 Atherosclerosis
 Conclusions
 REFERENCES
 
Guinea pigs are appropriate models for developmental studies because they experience rapid growth during the third trimester and can be weaned at 2 d of age. Guinea pigs develop fatty livers during fetal life. Small lipoproteins can be observed in the hepatic Golgi in the 52-d-old guinea pig fetus and, at 68 d, the fetus contains large lipoproteins in the secretory vesicles, which provide further evidence for active synthesis, assembly and secretion of TAG-rich lipoproteins (Bohmer et al. 1972Citation ). There is a significant accumulation of hepatic TAG in the fetus, which is accounted for by the rate of placental fatty acid transfer (Bohmer and Havel 1975Citation ).

Bile acid pools are low in most mammals during birth, including guinea pigs, and reach adult concentrations at the time of weaning (Li et al. 1979Citation ). Feeding 0.25% cholesterol to pregnant guinea pig dams resulted in a significant decrease in the total bile acid pool in the neonate, a significant reduction in chenodeoxycholic acid and an increase in the proportion of bile acids in the neonatal liver. These are important findings relevant to earlier reports in which feeding chenodeoxycholic acid to guinea pigs reduced the activity of Cyp7, suggesting that in this species chenodeoxycholic acid exerts a feedback inhibition for the synthesis of this bile acid from cholesterol (Hassan et al. 1983Citation ). In contrast, in rats the activity of fetal and neonatal Cyp7 was increased after feeding of 1% cholesterol (Naseem et al. 1980Citation ), indicating important differences between animal models in the handling of pharmacological doses of dietary cholesterol.

Studies have been carried out to determine prenatal interventions on maternal and fetal cholesterol homeostasis in guinea pigs. The dams were fed a nonpurified diet supplemented with 1.1% cholestyramine or 0.25% cholesterol. Maternal hepatic cholesterol synthesis increased 3.5-fold with cholestyramine treatment and decreased 87% with cholesterol intake (Yount and McNamara 1991Citation ). In contrast, the fetus had moderate changes in cholesterol synthesis modulated by time of gestation rather than by dietary manipulations. These studies indicate that responses to dietary treatment do not vary between pregnant and nonpregnant dams and that the fetus is relatively insensitive to maternal dietary or drug treatments.


    Ascorbic acid and cardiovascular disease
 TOP
 ABSTRACT
 INTRODUCTION
 Hepatic cholesterol metabolism
 Lipoprotein metabolism and...
 Effects of dietary factors...
 Exercise and lipoprotein...
 Drug treatment studies
 Gender and hormonal status
 Developmental studies
 Ascorbic acid and cardiovascular...
 Atherosclerosis
 Conclusions
 REFERENCES
 
Guinea pigs are the most appropriate model in which to study the role of vitamin C in hepatic lipid metabolism, plasma lipids and progression of atherosclerosis because they are one of the few species that has a dietary requirement for ascorbic acid (Turley et al. 1976Citation ). Epidemiological studies have shown a negative correlation between intake of vitamin C and plasma cholesterol concentrations (Cerna and Ginter 1978Citation ). In addition, the Basel protective study documented that low plasma carotene and ascorbate concentrations correlated with a higher risk for coronary heart disease (Gey et al. 1993Citation ). Studies in guinea pigs have shown that inadequate intake of vitamin C leads to hypercholesterolemia (Montano et al. 1998Citation ) and hypertriglyceridemia (Yokota et al. 1981Citation ) and that it may influence the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis (Ginter 1978Citation ) and possibly increase oxidative stress (Liu and Le 1997Citation ).

Ascorbic acid deficiency is associated with reductions in hepatic microsomal cytochrome P450, which leads to reductions of Cyp7 activity (Greene et al. 1985Citation ). In agreement with earlier studies (Holloway et al. 1981Citation ), a significant reduction was observed in Cyp7 activity in guinea pigs fed marginal amounts of vitamin C (Fernandez et al. 1997bCitation , Holloway et al. 1981Citation ). Reductions in the active form of HMG-CoA reductase have also been reported (Montano et al. 1998Citation ). These reductions were correlated with higher concentrations of CE in guinea pigs fed marginal amounts of vitamin C, suggesting that the homeostatic response of the liver to maintain the free cholesterol pool occurs by suppressing cholesterol synthesis and increasing hepatic cholesterol stores.

A potential mechanism for the increases in plasma LDL-C observed in cases of an inadequate supply of vitamin C could be the down-regulation of LDL receptors. Marginal intake of vitamin C has been related to a lower number of hepatic LDL receptors (Montano et al. 1998Citation ) and slower LDL FCR compared with guinea pigs fed an adequate amount of vitamin C (Fernandez et al. 1997bCitation , Ginter and Jurcovicoca 1977Citation ). Similarly, an increase in the LDL receptor number was observed in cultured arterial smooth muscle cells incubated with ascorbate (Auslinkas et al. 1983Citation ).

A consistent finding associated with vitamin C deficiency is elevated concentrations of plasma TAG. It has been postulated that a deficiency of vitamin C reduces carnitine synthesis, thus causing more accumulation of TAG in the liver due to a reduced transport of fatty acids to the mitochondria for ß-oxidation (Hylse et al. 1978Citation ). This accumulation of TAG results in an increased TAG secretion rate. Marginal intake of vitamin C results in increased secretion of apoB VLDL, explaining in part the hypertriglyceridemia observed in guinea pigs fed marginal concentrations of ascorbic acid (Montano et al. 1998Citation ). Bobek et al. (1980)Citation reported that borderline vitamin C deficiency in guinea pigs in wk 14–16 resulted in reduced fractional plasma TAG turnover.

In addition, supplementation with ascorbic acid has been reported to decrease endogenous oxidative damage in guinea pig liver (Cadenas et al. 1994Citation ), decrease the susceptibility of LDL to oxidize in the presence of dietary PUFA (Fernandez et al. 1997bCitation ) and reduce lipid peroxide concentrations in kidney, heart and brain (Kaplan 1995Citation ). These studies suggest a possible role for this antioxidant in reducing the formation of oxidized LDL and influencing the uptake of this lipoprotein by the arterial wall.


    Atherosclerosis
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 ABSTRACT
 INTRODUCTION
 Hepatic cholesterol metabolism
 Lipoprotein metabolism and...
 Effects of dietary factors...
 Exercise and lipoprotein...
 Drug treatment studies
 Gender and hormonal status
 Developmental studies
 Ascorbic acid and cardiovascular...
 Atherosclerosis
 Conclusions
 REFERENCES
 
Oxidized LDL may enhance the progression of atherosclerosis via the following processes: enhancement of monocyte adhesion and macrophage foam cell generation, stimulation of platelet adhesion and aggregation, triggering of thrombosis and impairment of vasodilation (Parthsarathy et al. 1992Citation ). The oxidation of LDL probably takes place in the arterial wall, where LDL particles are sequestered from circulating antioxidants (Witztum and Steinberg 1991Citation ). Vazquez et al. (1998)Citation measured the oxidation behavior of rat and guinea pig LDL and concluded that guinea pig LDL composition bears a closer resemblance to that of human LDL. In a clinical study of patients with familial hyperlipidemia, these authors observed that human LDL oxidation parameters were more similar to those of guinea pigs than to those of rats (Vazquez et al. 1997Citation ).

Studies were conducted to assess whether vitamin E affects the proteoglycan distribution and vascular permeability in the aortas of cholesterol-fed guinea pigs. Vitamin E preserved the morphological and functional integrity of the vascular wall and contributed to the inhibition of atherosclerosis (Qiao et al. 1993Citation ). This protective effect of vitamin E against in vitro lipid peroxidation was observed in guinea pigs even in the presence of an optimal intake of vitamin C (Barja et al. 1996Citation ). Similar to reports in humans (Esterbauer et al. 1991Citation ), the protective concentrations of vitamin E against lipid peroxidation were found to be higher than the concentrations needed to avoid deficiency syndromes. Liu et al. (1997)Citation showed a protective effect of vitamin C against LDL oxidation in cases of impaired vitamin E retention. Similarly, reduced concentrations of vitamin E as a result of ethanol intake were raised when dietary vitamin C was provided (Suresh et al. 1999Citation ), demonstrating the protective role of ascorbic acid in sparing vitamin E and influencing the oxidative process in plasma.

Other studies in guinea pigs have evaluated the role of ascorbic acid–deficient diets in atherosclerosis development. Ginter (1978)Citation reported edema of the vessel wall and vacuolization of endothelial cells in guinea pigs fed a vitamin C–deficient diet. Satinder et al. (1987)Citation found white patchy plaques in the arch and proximal aorta in two thirds of guinea pigs fed a vitamin C–deficient diet for 8 wk. Vitamin C deficiency with cholesterol feeding has also been studied in guinea pigs (Sharma et al. 1988Citation ). After 3 mo, there were significant increases in the severity of aortic lesions and an additive effect on atherosclerosis was observed with cholesterol feeding. These studies indicate that, similar to humans, guinea pigs develop atherosclerosis due to oxidative damages induced by ascorbic acid deficiency or by the lack of dietary vitamin E.

The development of early atherosclerosis has been demonstrated in male, female and ovariectomized guinea pigs fed a hypercholesterolemic diet for 12 wk (Cos et al. 2000Citation ). Partial substitution of insoluble by soluble fiber resulted in less lesion development (Table 5Citation ). Guinea pigs fed the control diet exhibited LDL particles that were larger and had higher concentrations of CE. A significant correlation between LDL diameter and fatty streak area (r = 0.56, P < 0.01) was found, suggesting that in guinea pigs, similar to African green monkeys, the larger LDL particles induced by hypercholesterolemic diets are correlated with lesion development (Carr et al. 1992Citation , Rudel et al. 1986Citation ). In the study by Cos et al. (2000)Citation , there was a clear gender effect because, independent of the diet, female guinea pigs exhibited less lesion development than did male or ovariectomized animals (Table 5)Citation . These results are of great interest because they suggest a protective effect of estrogen against atherosclerotic lesions.


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Table 5. Aortic fatty streaks of male, female and ovariectomized guinea pigs fed a control (12.5% cellulose, 60% casein, 40% soybean protein) or test (5% pectin, 5% psyllium, 2.5% cellulose, 100% soybean protein) diet

 

    Conclusions
 TOP
 ABSTRACT
 INTRODUCTION
 Hepatic cholesterol metabolism
 Lipoprotein metabolism and...
 Effects of dietary factors...
 Exercise and lipoprotein...
 Drug treatment studies
 Gender and hormonal status
 Developmental studies
 Ascorbic acid and cardiovascular...
 Atherosclerosis
 Conclusions
 REFERENCES
 
It is clear from this review that, in addition to carrying the majority of their plasma cholesterol in LDL, guinea pigs present other striking similarities to humans in terms of hepatic cholesterol and lipoprotein metabolism. Guinea pig responses to dietary factors, drug treatment, ascorbic acid deficiency, oxidative stress, exercise, gender and hormonal status undoubtedly mimic the human situation. In addition, many of the mechanisms by which guinea pigs regulate cholesterol and lipoprotein metabolism as a response to diet or drug treatment are analogous to those reported in clinical experiments. These studies clearly document the suitability and appropriateness of the guinea pig model and reinforce the importance of the use of alternatives to the more-established and more widely used animal models.


    FOOTNOTES
 
2 Abbreviations used: ACAT, acyl coenzyme A cholesteryl acyltransferase; apo, apolipoprotein; Bmax, maximal binding; CETP, cholesterol ester transfer protein; CE, cholesteryl ester; CO, corn oil; Cyp7, cholesterol 7{alpha}-hydroxylase; FC, free cholesterol; FCR, fractional catabolic rate; GG, guar gum; HC, high concentration of dietary cholesterol; HDL-C, HDL-cholesterol; HL, hepatic lipase; HMG-CoA, 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A; LC, low concentration of dietary cholesterol; LDL-C, LDL cholesterol; LCAT, lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase; LPL, lipoprotein lipase; MONO, monounsaturated fatty acids; PC, phosphatidylcholine; PE, pectin; PK, palm kernel oil; PPP, prickly pear pectin; PSY, psyllium; PUFA, polyunsaturated fatty acids; SAT, saturated fatty acids; TAG, triacylglycerol; VLDL-C, VLDL cholesterol. Back


    REFERENCES
 TOP
 ABSTRACT
 INTRODUCTION
 Hepatic cholesterol metabolism
 Lipoprotein metabolism and...
 Effects of dietary factors...
 Exercise and lipoprotein...
 Drug treatment studies
 Gender and hormonal status
 Developmental studies
 Ascorbic acid and cardiovascular...
 Atherosclerosis
 Conclusions
 REFERENCES
 

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49. Fernandez M. L., McNamara D. J. Dietary fat saturation and chain length modulate guinea pig hepatic cholesterol metabolism. J. Nutr. 1994;124:331-339

50. Fernandez M. L., Roy S., Vergara-Jimenez M. Resistant starch and cholestyramine have distinct effects on hepatic cholesterol metabolism in guinea pigs fed a hypercholesterolemic diet. Nutr. Res. 2000;20:837-850

51. Fernandez M. L., Ruiz L. R., Conde A. K., Sun C.-M., Erickson S., McNamara D. J. Psyllium reduces plasma LDL in guinea pigs by altering hepatic cholesterol metabolism. J. Lipid Res. 1995a;36:1128-1138[Abstract]

52. Fernandez M. L., Soscia A. E., Sun G.-S., Tosca M., McNamara D. J. Olive oil and rapeseed oil differ in their effect on plasma low-density lipoprotein metabolism in the guinea-pig. Br. J. Nutr. 1996d;76:869-880[Medline]

53. Fernandez M. L., Sun D.-M., Montano C., McNamara D. J. Carbohydrate-fat exchange and regulation of hepatic cholesterol and plasma lipoprotein metabolism in the guinea pig. Metabolism 1995d;44:855-864[Medline]

54. Fernandez M. L., Sun D.-M., Tosca M., McNamara D. J. Citrus pectin and cholesterol interact to regulate hepatic cholesterol homeostasis and lipoprotein metabolism: A dose response study in the guinea pig. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 1994a;59:869-878[Abstract/Free Full Text]

55. Fernandez M. L., Sun D.-M., Tosca M., McNamara D. J. Differential effects of guar gum on LDL and hepatic cholesterol metabolism in guinea pigs fed low and high cholesterol diets: A dose response study. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 1995e;61:127-134[Abstract/Free Full Text]

56. Fernandez M. L., Trejo A., McNamara D. J. Pectin isolated from prickly pear (Opuntia sp) modifies low density lipoprotein (LDL) in cholesterol-fed guinea pigs. J. Nutr. 1990b;120:1283-1290

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