Functional analysis of endothelial dysfunction in mice aorta following high-fat diet administration

Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové Department of Biological and Medical Sciences Supervisor: RNDr. Ivana Němečková, Ph.D. Author: Adéla Martínková Title of Thesis: Functional analysis of endothelial dysfunction in mice aorta following high-fat diet administration Background and aim: Endothelial dysfunction is associated with the impairment of vasodilatory response of vessel wall mediated by nitric oxide which is produced by endothelial cells under physiological conditions. Endothelial dysfunction can be induced by high fat diet (HFD) feeding in experimental animals. The aim of this diploma thesis was to determine the effect of HFD on the functional parameters of aorta, especially the effect of the vasodilatory factor acetylcholine on endothelial cells of the thoracic part of the mouse aorta. Methods: The 7 months old C57BL/6J male mice were fed high fat diet containing 42 % kcal fat for 12 weeks to induce endothelial dysfunction in the aorta. The control group was fed a standard laboratory diet during the whole experiment. Functional parameters of aorta were assessed with wire myograph 620M. Results: At the end of the experiment, the weight of the animals was statistically significantly lower in the HFD group compared to the control group of mice fed the standard..