Diet- Induced Atherosclerosis/Hypercholesterolemia in Rodent Models 

Brief Scientific Literature Review- October 2008 by Michael A. Pellizzon, Ph.D. Senior Scientist, Research Diets, Inc.Atherosclerosis is a complex chronic disease characterized by the
accumulation of lipids within arterial walls that eventually go on to form plaques, which can cause narrowing, hardening, and/or complete blockage of arteries. One well known risk factor in humans
is hypercholesterolemia (i.e. elevated total cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C)) (1), and other important contributors to this disease include inflammation, oxidative stress,
and insulin resistance (2, 3). Foods high in dietary saturated fat (SF) and cholesterol (i.e. “Western-type diets”) have been linked to elevations in circulating cholesterol levels (in particular, LDL-C) (4), prompting the recommendation that humans limit the intake of  these dietary constituents (1). Like humans, Western-type diets can induce elevated LDL-C and atherosclerosis in certain rodent models
(i.e. mice, hamsters, guinea pigs). erefore, the use of such diets for promoting atherosclerosis in these models has been a valuable tool for both gaining more understanding of this disease and testing
therapies that can potentially reverse it.