抄録
We examined the suppressive effects of porcine pancreatic elastase and magnesium on experimental atherosclerosis. Five groups of rabbits were studied for 4 months as follows: a control group, two groups on a 1% cholesterol diet with and without porcine pancreatic elastase (Eisai Co. Ltd., 5mg i. m./kg B. W./day) and two groups on a 1% cholesterol diet containing an additional 1% magnesium with and without elastase.
Rabbits fed the cholesterol diet without elastase and/or magnesium showed significantly higher levels of cholesterol, triglycerides and calcium in the aortic tissue and in the elastin fraction than did the control animals. In rabbits on the cholesterol diet with elastase and/or magnesium, these components were reduced in both the aortic tissue and the elastin fraction. This reduction was especially significant in the elastin fraction. The marked suppression of triglyceride accumulations in both the aortic tissue and the elastin fraction was found in elastase-treated rabbits rather than in magnesium-treated rabbits; whereas the considerable suppression of calcium deposits in aortic tissue was found in magnesium-treated rabbits rather than in elastase-treated rabbits. In the elastin fraction, however the suppression effect of magnesium on calcium deposition was similar to that of elastase. There were an increase in polarr amino acids and a decrease in cross-linking amino acids in the isolated elastin from the aortas of untreated rabbits on the cholesterol diet. However, these changes were suppressed by treatment with elastase and/or magnesium. Furthermore, combined treatment with elastase and magnesium was more effective in both suppressing the increase of triglycerides in the elastin fraction and the changes in elastin amino acids and restoring the elastin content in the aortic tissue.
These results suggest that magnesium and elastase might be useful agents to suppress atherosclerosis.
