Vasculoprotective properties of plasma lipoproteins from brown bears (Ursus arctos)

Plasma cholesterol and triglyceride (TG) levels are twice as high in hibernating brown bears (Ursus arctos) than healthy humans. Yet, bears display no signs of early stage atherosclerosis development when adult. To explore this apparent paradox, we analyzed plasma lipoproteins from the same 10 bears...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Lipid Research
Main Authors: Matteo Pedrelli, Paolo Parini, Jonas Kindberg, Jon M. Arnemo, Ingemar Bjorkhem, Ulrika Aasa, Maria Westerståhl, Anna Walentinsson, Chiara Pavanello, Marta Turri, Laura Calabresi, Katariina Öörni, Gérman Camejo, Ole Fröbert, Eva Hurt-Camejo
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2021
Subjects:
Ursus arctos
hibernation
lipids
apoB
lipoproteins
proteoglycans
Biochemistry
QD415-436
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jlr.2021.100065
https://doaj.org/article/d0067720a8574924b204b6fa6db396c8
Description
Summary:Plasma cholesterol and triglyceride (TG) levels are twice as high in hibernating brown bears (Ursus arctos) than healthy humans. Yet, bears display no signs of early stage atherosclerosis development when adult. To explore this apparent paradox, we analyzed plasma lipoproteins from the same 10 bears in winter (hibernation) and summer using size exclusion chromatography, ultracentrifugation, and electrophoresis. LDL binding to arterial proteoglycans (PGs) and plasma cholesterol efflux capacity (CEC) were also evaluated. The data collected and analyzed from bears were also compared with those from healthy humans. In bears, the cholesterol ester, unesterified cholesterol, TG, and phospholipid contents of VLDL and LDL were higher in winter than in summer. The percentage lipid composition of LDL differed between bears and humans but did not change seasonally in bears. Bear LDL was larger, richer in TGs, showed prebeta electrophoretic mobility, and had 5–10 times lower binding to arterial PGs than human LDL. Finally, plasma CEC was higher in bears than in humans, especially the HDL fraction when mediated by ABCA1. These results suggest that in brown bears the absence of early atherogenesis is likely associated with a lower affinity of LDL for arterial PGs and an elevated CEC of bear plasma.

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