Biomarkers of hyperlipidemia cholesterol metabolism in hamster

Aim To establish the hyperlipidemic model and explore the mechanism of hypercholesterolemia in hamster. Methods Hamsters were randomly divided into the control and model groups. The hamsters in the control group were fed with the standard chow and the model group were fed with the high fat diet. Serum lipids and CYP7A1 activity were detected by enzymatic method. The molecular mechanism of cholesterol metabolism was investigated by real-time PCR. Results In comparison with the control group,the concentrations of serum TC,LDL-C,TG and hepatic TC,TG were significantly increased in the model group. The mechanism research showed that in hamsters fed with the high fat diet,the CYP7A1 activity and the mRNA expressions of hepatic LDL-R,SREBP-2,CYP7A1,LXRα were downregulated,the expression of hepatic FXR was up-regulated. Conclusion The hyperlipidemic model could be developed in hamsters fed with the high fat diet for 4 weeks. LDL-R,SREBP-2,CYP7A1,FXR and LXRα are the biomarkers of hypercholesterolemia,and also the targets of hypolipidemic drugs.