Spontaneous atherosclerosis in aged lipoprotein lipase-deficient mice with severe hypertriglyceridemia on a normal chow diet.

Large-scale epidemiological studies have revealed a strong association between hypertriglyceridemia and coronary arteriosclerotic disease. However, there are conflicting reports whether the severe hypertriglyceridemia caused by lipoprotein lipase (LPL) deficiency is pro- or antiatherogenic. To determine the effect of LPL deficiency on atherosclerosis, we pursued long-term observation of the development of atherosclerotic lesions in an LPL gene deficient mouse model.