Comparison of Lipopolysaccharide binding protein and C-reactive protein gene expression levels in a Rat model of induced Atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis is an inflammatory 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. This study was designed to examine the cholesterol feeding induction of cardiovascular diseases exemplified by atherosclerosis in rat and induction of CRP, LBP, SAP and P4H on the transcriptional activity of the inflammation / related gene expression by a semi-quantitative RT-PCR in liver and heart tissues, and make comparison between CRP and LBP as biomarker for atherosclerosis. Material & Methods: Experimental Rats were fed with cholesterol diet (2.5% pure (wt/wt) cholesterol, 1% cholic acid and 5% oil) and sacrificed after 18 weeks of feeding. Results: Histopathological examination for heart showed fatty cells deposition in atherogenic rats. Expression pattern of CRP, LBP, SAP & P4H genes were investigated, in liver and heart, these genes were highly expressed while some of them showed no expression pattern in heart tissues.