Cholesteryl ester transfer protein decreases high-density lipoprotein and severely aggravates atherosclerosis in APOE*3-Leiden mice

OBJECTIVE - The role of cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) in the development of atherosclerosis is still undergoing debate. Therefore, we evaluated the effect of human CETP expression on atherosclerosis in APOE*3-Leiden (E3L) mice with a humanized lipoprotein profile. METHODS AND RESULTS - E3L mice were crossbred with human CETP transgenic mice. On a chow diet, CETP expression increased plasma total cholesterol (TC) (+43%; P<0.05). To evaluate the effects of CETP on the development of atherosclerosis, mice were fed a Western-type diet containing 0.25% cholesterol, leading to 4.3-fold elevated TC levels in both E3L and CETP.E3L mice (P