PR000245 (Project)

Description:Insulin-resistant subjects develop more severe and diffuse coronary artery atherosclerosis than insulin sensitive control but the mechanisms that mediate the atherosclerosis phenotype are unknown. The objective of this study is to investigate whether the severity of atherosclerosis is associated not only with lipoprotein concentrations, weight, blood pressure, biomarkers of inflammation and IR in an animal model but also changes in parameters that measure protein glycation. The experimental approach was to study normocholestrolemic pigs fed a high fat diet that also contained increased NaCl. The choice of pigs was driven by the fact that, like humans, they develop coronary artery and aortic atherosclerosis and insulin resistance. In addition, pigs have been used in many studies to define the mechanisms that mediate increased atherosclerosis in diabetes.