Edvinsson Marie, Tallkvist Jonas, Nyström-Rosander Christina, Ilbäck Nils-Gunnar
Department of Medical Sciences, Section of Infectious Diseases, Uppsala University, 75185 Uppsala, Sweden.
Department of Biomedical Sciences and Veterinary Public Health, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 75007 Uppsala, Sweden.
Pathog Dis. 2017 Jan 1;75(1). doi: 10.1093/femspd/ftx004.
Chlamydia pneumoniae has been suggested as a stimulator of the atherosclerotic process. Mice fed a normal diet were infected intranasally with C. pneumoniae and given one intraperitoneal injection of 14C-cholesterol tracer per day for 12 days. Bacteria were demonstrated in the aorta in the early phase of infection and in lungs and liver throughout the study period of 20 days. 14C-cholesterol was not affected in the heart but increased in the blood, liver and aorta on day 4 when the infection was clinically most severe. Furthermore, on day 20 14C-cholesterol tended to be increased in the aorta. Accordingly, copper- and zinc levels and expressions of the infection biomarkers Cxcl2 and Ifng increased in the liver on day 4 with a tendency of increased of copper, zinc and Ifng on day 20. In mice where bacteria could be cultivated from the lungs, expressions of cholesterol transporters Abca1 and Idol were both increased in the liver on day 4. The increased levels of 14C-cholesterol in blood and aorta together with increased Abca1 and Idol in the liver during C. pneumoniae infection in mice fed a normal diet suggest that this pathogen may have a role in the initiation of the atherosclerotic process.
肺炎衣原体被认为是动脉粥样硬化进程的刺激因素。给正常饮食的小鼠经鼻内感染肺炎衣原体，并连续12天每天腹腔注射一次14C-胆固醇示踪剂。在感染早期，主动脉中可检测到细菌，在整个20天的研究期内，肺部和肝脏中也可检测到细菌。14C-胆固醇在心脏中未受影响，但在感染临床症状最严重的第4天，血液、肝脏和主动脉中的14C-胆固醇增加。此外，在第20天，主动脉中的14C-胆固醇有增加趋势。相应地，肝脏中铜和锌水平以及感染生物标志物Cxcl2和Ifng的表达在第4天增加，在第20天铜、锌和Ifng有增加趋势。在可从肺部培养出细菌的小鼠中，肝脏中胆固醇转运蛋白Abca1和Idol的表达在第4天均增加。正常饮食的小鼠在肺炎衣原体感染期间，血液和主动脉中14C-胆固醇水平升高，同时肝脏中Abca1和Idol增加，这表明该病原体可能在动脉粥样硬化进程的起始中起作用。
