A Western-Type Dietary Pattern Induces an Atherogenic Gene Expression Profile in the Coronary Arteries of the Ossabaw Pig.

Background: Current cardiovascular risk reduction guidance focuses on shifts in dietary patterns, rather than single foods or nutrients. Experimental studies are needed to identify the mechanisms by which food-based diets affect the development and progression of atherosclerosis.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of 2 food-based dietary patterns and statin therapy on the transcriptome of the left anterior descending coronary artery of the Ossabaw pig.

Methods: Pigs were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 groups and fed isocaloric diets for 6 mo; Heart Healthy-style diet (HHD) (high in unsaturated fat, unrefined grain, fruits/vegetables) or Western-style diet (WD) (high in saturated fat, cholesterol, refined grain), with or without atorvastatin. A 2-factor edge R analysis was used to determine differential gene expression in the left anterior descending coronary artery.

Results: Relative to the HHD, the WD resulted in the differential expression of 143 genes, of which 139 genes were upregulated and 4 genes were downregulated (all log fold change ≥0.6, false discovery rate <0.10). The WD, compared with the HHD, resulted in the statistically significant upregulation of 8 atherosclerosis-associated pathways implicated in immune and inflammatory processes. There were no genes with significant differential expression attributable to statin therapy.

Conclusions: These data suggest that a WD induces alterations in the transcriptome of the coronary artery consistent with an inflammatory atherogenic phenotype in the Ossabaw pig with no significant modification by concurrent statin therapy.