Fabricant C G, Fabricant J, Minick C R, Litrenta M M
Fed Proc. 1983 May 15;42(8):2476-9.
Repeated experiments have established that infection with Marek's disease herpesvirus (MDV) leads to atherosclerosis in specific pathogen free (SPF) normocholesterolemic chickens. Neither normocholesterolemic nor hypercholesterolemic uninfected SPF chickens develop this disease. The MDV-induced arterial disease is remarkably similar to chronic human atherosclerosis. Cholesterol and saturated cholesteryl esters accumulated in cultured arterial smooth muscle cells (SMC) infected with MDV. Similar preliminary observations were made in vivo. These findings suggest that MDV-induced alteration of SMC lipid metabolism is of major importance in the pathogenesis of MDV-induced atherosclerosis. In addition, immunization with turkey herpesvirus, used commercially to prevent MDV-induced tumors in chickens, also protected against MDV-induced atherosclerosis. This animal model has introduced important new dimensions and tools in atherosclerosis research: a defined etiologic agent (MDV) that causes atherosclerosis in a defined animal of known genetic susceptibility to the etiologic agent. With these tools, important mechanisms in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis may be established in a relatively short period of time. Further, this animal model should be considered important in other models of atherosclerosis research because herpesvirus infections are ubiquitous in these animals. Finally, because humans are widely and persistently infected with up to five herpesviruses, these studies may lead to the understanding and eventual control of human atherosclerosis.
反复实验已证实，感染马立克氏病疱疹病毒（MDV）会导致特定病原体-free（SPF）正常胆固醇水平的鸡发生动脉粥样硬化。正常胆固醇水平或高胆固醇水平的未感染SPF鸡均不会患此病。MDV诱导的动脉疾病与人类慢性动脉粥样硬化极为相似。胆固醇和饱和胆固醇酯在感染MDV的培养动脉平滑肌细胞（SMC）中积累。在体内也有类似的初步观察结果。这些发现表明，MDV诱导的SMC脂质代谢改变在MDV诱导的动脉粥样硬化发病机制中至关重要。此外，用商业上用于预防鸡群中MDV诱导肿瘤的火鸡疱疹病毒进行免疫，也能预防MDV诱导的动脉粥样硬化。这种动物模型为动脉粥样硬化研究引入了重要的新维度和工具：一种明确的病原体（MDV），它能在对该病原体具有已知遗传易感性的特定动物中引发动脉粥样硬化。借助这些工具，可在相对较短的时间内确定动脉粥样硬化发病机制中的重要机制。此外，这种动物模型在其他动脉粥样硬化研究模型中也应被视为重要模型，因为疱疹病毒感染在这些动物中普遍存在。最后，由于人类广泛且持续感染多达五种疱疹病毒，这些研究可能会促成对人类动脉粥样硬化的理解并最终加以控制。
