Atherosclerosis refers to a group of disorders that have common thickening and loss of elasticity of arterial walls. Of the various risk factors, hyperlipidemia and hypertension are most important. So, the scanning electron microscopic
observation
was
carried out to evaluate the effects of high cholesterol diet on the early atheroscleotic changes of the aorta both in Wistar and spontaneously hypertensive the (SHR) for a 8 months.
The blood pressure of SHR rised gradually from 3.5 months after birth and reached nearly 190 mmHg from the 5.5 to 9.5months. blood cholesterol levels were remarkably increased in rats fed high cholesterol diet from 67.0±7.0mg/dl to
403.0±43.8mg/dl in
Wistar rat and 117.80±36.00mg/dl in SHR, respectively.
Until 3.5 months, adhesion of a few platelets and fibrin were noted in Wister rats fed with hypercholesterol diet while focal injury on the endothelial surface were noted in SHR in 3.5 months. Later on, adhesion of platelets, firbrin and white
blood
cells as well as damage of inner wall revealed as multiple small holes were more marked, resulted in marked atherosclerosis at 9.5months. Atherosclerotic changes were more marked in the condition of hypertension with hypercholesterolemia.
With above results, it is suggested that hypercholesterolemia induce endothelial damage by adhesion of platelets and white blood cells in SHR at the beginning of the athrogenesis.
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