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(Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology. 2009;29:1478.)
© 2009 American Heart Association, Inc.

Integrative Physiology/Experimental Medicine

Osteoprotegerin Promotes Fibrous Cap Formation in Atherosclerotic Lesions of ApoE-Deficient Mice—Brief Report

Olga Ovchinnikova; Åsa Gylfe; Leslie Bailey; Anna Nordström; Mats Rudling; Christian Jung; Sven Bergström; Anders Waldenström; Göran K Hansson; Peter Nordström

From the Karolinska Institutet (O.O., C.J., G.K.H.), Stockholm, and Umeå University (Å.G., L.B., A.N., M.R., S.B., A.W., P.N.), Umeå, Sweden.

Correspondence to Peter Nordström, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden. E-mail peter.nordstrom{at}idrott.umu.se

Objective— Osteoprotegerin (OPG) is a tumor necrosis factor receptor–related cytokine, initially found to inhibit osteoclastogenesis. In the present study we investigated the effect of OPG treatment on atherosclerosis.

Methods and Results— Hypercholesterolemic apoe^–/– mice were treated with recombinant 15 mg/kg OPG or vehicle injections twice a week for 10 consecutive weeks. Mice treated with OPG showed increased amounts of smooth muscle cells and collagen within the atherosclerotic lesions. OPG treatment did not affect atherosclerotic lesion size (8.2% versus 7.6%) or total vessel area but led to a 250% increase in lesion collagen, formation of mature collagen fibers in subendothelial fibrous caps, and upregulated mRNA for lysyl oxidase that promotes collagen crosslinking. In cell culture studies, OPG promoted cell proliferation in rat aortic smooth muscle cells. In contrast, OPG treatment did not affect markers of vascular or systemic inflammation.

Conclusion— OPG treatment promotes smooth muscle accumulation, collagen fiber formation, and development of fibrous caps but does not affect inflammatory properties of atherosclerotic lesions. Its effects may contribute to plaque stabilization.

The effect of osteoprotegerin treatment on atherosclerosis was investigated in apoe^–/– mice. Whereas total lesion size and markers of inflammation were unchanged, osteoprotegerin increased smooth muscle cells and collagen within the lesions where subendothelial fibrous caps were developed. Therefore, osteoprotegerin may help stabilize lesions.

Key Words: osteoprotegerin • atherosclerosis • fibrous cap • collagen • mice