Acid fibroblast growth factor facilitates the progression of atherosclerotic plaques regardless of alterations in serum lipid expression levels in HFD-fed ApoE−/− mice.

Atherosclerosis is recognized at present as a chronic metabolic disease of the arteries that leads to multifocal plaque development. Previous studies have reported that acid fibroblast growth factor (aFGF) is a critical therapeutic regulator in numerous chronic metabolic disorders. However, there is currently no direct evidence indicating whether aFGF serves a therapeutic role in atherosclerosis. In the present study, the role of aFGF in atherosclerotic lesion development was investigated by examining high-fat diet (HFD)-fed apolipoprotein E (ApoE)−/− mice and parenteral administration of aFGF. Increased expression of aFGF and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα) was observed during atherosclerotic lesion development. The parenteral delivery of aFGF facilitated the progression of atherosclerosis without altering serum lipid expression levels in HFD-fed ApoE−/− mice. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that aFGF increased the expression of PPARα and inflammatory cytokines. The present results provided evidence that aFGF accelerates the progression of atherosclerosis and suggested that aFGF may be a potential therapeutic target for the prevention of atherosclerosis development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]