RAPID
COMMUNICATION
Influence
of Intrauterine Undernutrition on the Development
of Hypercholesterolemia in an Animal Model
P. SZITÁNYI1,2,
J. HANZLOVÁ1, R. POLEDNE 1
1Institute
for Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Cardiac
Centre, Laboratory for Atherosclerosis Research
and 2First
Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital
Motol, Second Medical School, Charles University,
Prague, Czech Republic
Received
May 26, 2000
Accepted October 26, 2000
Summary
A
low birth weight is a new risk factor for the
development of premature atherosclerosis. The
effect of intrauterine undernutrition on
hypercholesterolemia in later life was studied in
an experimental model using the Prague Hereditary
Hypercholesterolemic (PHHC) rat. Compared to
animals in the control group (Wistar rats),
animals with an increased sensitivity to
high-cholesterol diet (PHHC rats) display
hypercholesterolemia. Only in PHHC animals,
individuals undernourished in their intrauterine
life (hypotrophic group, HG) had a significantly
higher total cholesterol, compared with
individuals without food restriction in pregnancy
(eutrophic group, EG). Restricted food intake in
pregnancy led to smaller nests and a decreased
number of pups in each litter. We found no
significant diferences in birth weight between HG
and EG. In spite of similar birth weights in PHHC
and Wistar rats, intrauterine undernutrition
caused an increase in cholesterolemia in the HG
group of the PHHC rats. The effect of
intrauterine undernutrition on the development of
hypercholesterolemia will most likely play a role
in individuals with geneticaly determined
increased susceptibility to a high-cholesterol
diet. The use of this model of intrauterine
undernutrition for the study of
hypercholesterolemia has proved to be feasible.
Key words
Rat
· Intrauterine undernutrition ·
Hypercholesterolemia
Reprint
requests
P. Szitányi, MD, PhD, First Department of
Paediatrics, University Hospital Motol, Second
Medical School, Charles University, V úvalu 84,
150 06 Prague 5, Czech Republic. e-mail:
peter.szitanyi@lfmotol.cuni.cz, szit@usa.net
