Early Onset Intrauterine Growth Restriction in a Mouse Model of Gestational Hypercholesterolemia and Atherosclerosis

Figure 1

Gestational hypercholesterolemia and atherosclerosis in LDLR KO females fed with a HC diet. (a) Plasma cholesterol concentration was significantly higher in HC-fed females compared to chow-fed females at both E15.5 (, and females, resp., Student’s -test) and E18.5 (, females in each group, Student’s -test). (b) Representative FPLC profiles of cholesterol content in lipoproteins in one chow- and one HC-fed pregnant female in E15.5. (c) Fatty streak in the aortic root of a HC-fed pregnant female in E15.5. Note the actin positive smooth cells (brown), the endothelial layer (arrows), and the foam cells in the subendothelial region (arrowheads) (magnification: 40x). (d) Feeding the HC diet did not induce overweight either before pregnancy or during pregnancy ( females in each group). Mean ± SEM.