Effects of age and/or puberty on coronary artery atherosclerosis in cynomolgus monkeys.

In this retrospective study of diet-induced atherosclerosis in male cynomolgus macaques, juvenile (2.5-3.5 years) and adult (6-12 years) monkeys that had consumed comparable atherogenic diets resulting in similar plasma lipid concentrations showed marked differences in coronary artery atherosclerotic lesion characteristics and extent. Adult animals (n = 16) developed more extensive lesions characterized predominantly as proliferative atherosclerotic plaques, while juveniles (n = 10) had minimal lesions that consisted primarily of fatty streaks. These differences in lesion characteristics and extent were not explained by differences in blood pressure. It is uncertain if these quantitative and qualitative differences in susceptibility to diet-induced atherosclerosis are due to intrinsic age-related changes in the arterial wall and/or related to the endocrine and metabolic changes associated with puberty. These findings may have relevance to the natural history of atherosclerosis in human beings.