Localized reduction of atherosclerosis in von Willebrand factor–deficient mice

Abstract

To examine the role of the platelet adhesion molecule von Willebrand factor (vWf) in atherogenesis, vWf-deficient mice (vWf−/−) were bred with mice lacking the low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR−/−) on a C57BL/6J background. LDLR−/−vWf+/+ and LDLR−/−vWf−/− mice were placed on a diet rich in saturated fat and cholesterol for different lengths of time. The atherogenic diet stimulated leukocyte rolling in the mesenteric venules in both genotypes, indicating an increase in P-selectin–mediated adhesion to the endothelium. After 8 weeks on the atherogenic diet, the fatty streaks formed in the aortic sinus of LDLR−/−vWf−/− mice of either sex were 40% smaller and contained fewer monocytes than those in LDLR−/−vWf+/+ mice. After 22 weeks on the atherogenic diet (early fibrous plaque stage), the difference in lesion size in the aortic sinus persisted. Interestingly, the lesion distribution in the aortas of LDLR−/−vWf−/− animals was different from that of LDLR−/− vWf+/+ animals. In vWf-positive mice, half of all lesions were located at the branch points of the renal and mesenteric arteries, whereas lesions in this area were not as prominent in the vWf-negative mice. These results indicate that the absence of vWf primarily affects the regions of the aorta with disturbed flow that are prone to atherosclerosis. Thus, vWf may recruit platelets/leukocytes to the lesion in a flow-dependent manner or may be part of the mechano-transduction pathway regulating endothelial response to shear stress.