Calorie restriction prevents the occlusive coronary vascular disease of autoimmune (NZW x BXSB)F1 mice

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1994 May 10;91(10):4402-6. doi: 10.1073/pnas.91.10.4402.

Abstract

Male (NZW x BXSB)F1 (W/BF1) mice develop systemic autoimmunity involving autoantibodies, thrombocytopenia, lupus nephritis, and coronary vascular disease (CVD) with myocardial infarction. To determine whether this murine lupus-associated CVD can be prevented by the reduction of dietary calories, male W/BF1 mice were separated into five experimental groups and fed either ad libitum (designated group A, n = 50), fed 32% fewer calories of an otherwise comparable diet (designated group B6, n = 20), or initially fed ad libitum and then switched to reduced calorie intake (RCI) feeding at ages 14, 17, or 22 weeks (designated B14, n = 10; B17, n = 20; or B22, n = 20). Occlusive CVD was prevented by RCI. Life-span was significantly extended among the early onset RCI cohorts, B6 and B14 (P = 0.0001 and P = 0.005), compared to group A mice. Mean anti-cardiolipin autoantibody titers and mean levels of circulating immune complexes were also lowered in RCI mice when all RCI mice were compared to ad libitum fed group A mice. Histological grades of both coronary vascular and glomerular lesions were significantly less than those of group A mice (P < 0.001). Immunoprecipitates indicative of immunoglobulin deposition within coronary or glomerular vascular walls were also substantially less than those of group A mice. These findings indicate a possible causal role for anti-cardiolipin autoantibody in development of autoimmune CVD in W/BF1 mice and suggest that regulating dietary calories can influence the mechanism involved in pathogenesis of autoimmune-associated CVD development.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Arterial Occlusive Diseases / genetics
  • Arterial Occlusive Diseases / immunology
  • Arterial Occlusive Diseases / prevention & control*
  • Autoantibodies / blood*
  • Autoimmune Diseases / genetics*
  • Autoimmune Diseases / prevention & control
  • Body Weight
  • Cardiolipins / immunology
  • Coronary Vessels* / pathology
  • Crosses, Genetic
  • DNA / immunology
  • Diet, Reducing*
  • Energy Intake
  • Female
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Mice, Inbred Strains

Substances

  • Autoantibodies
  • Cardiolipins
  • DNA