Distribution of atherosclerotic lesions in various arteries of WHHLMI rabbits, an animal model of familial hypercholesterolemia.

In WHHLMI rabbits, arterial lesions develop spontaneously in various arteries even with standard chow. Here, we examined the development of arterial lesions in various arteries to demonstrate standard characteristics of arterial lesions in WHHLMI rabbits. For WHHLMI rabbits at 6, 12, 20, and 30 months of age, lesion areas and areas of arterial lumen surfaces were measured using image analysis software. Histopathological sections of arterial lesions were stained with elastic van Gieson staining. Arterial lesions developed around bifurcations and expanded with aging. In the aorta, atheromatous lesions were severe in the thoracic aorta but were mild in the distal part of the abdominal aorta. Carotid artery lesions progressed in the proximal region and at bifurcations, and the histopathological features were similar to those of coronary lesions. Pulmonary artery lesions contained many foam cells. Fibrous lesions were observed in the proximal and distal areas of the renal arteries, at the bifurcation of the iliac-femoral artery and mesenteric artery, and around the anastomosis of vertebral arteries. Lesions in the celiac artery contained foam cells and/or lipid droplets within fibrous lesions. In a pair of right and left arteries, the arterial lesions tended to progress more in the right artery. Gender did not affect analysis of arterial lesions. In conclusion, the arterial lesions expanded from bifurcations, and the morphological features of the arterial lesions varied depending on the type of artery. These results serve as reference data for arterial lesions in studies using WHHLMI rabbits.