Matthias Rath Author

Research Article Open Access

Cardiovascular Effects of Cyclical Dietary Vitamin C Withdrawal in Mice Deficient in Internal Synthesis Vitamin C and producing human lipoprotein (a): Gulo(-/-); Lp(a)+

Author(s):

Lei Shi, Aleksandra Niedzwiecki*, Vadim Ivanov and Matthias Rath

Background: Scientific knowledge of the impact of periodic dietary vitamin C intake and withdrawal on the development of cardiovascular disease has been limited. Our earlier study using a transgenic Gulo(-/-); Lp(a)+ mouse model mimicking human metabolism in respect to a lack of internal synthesis of vitamin C and expression of human lipoprotein (a) [Lp(a)], a recognized risk factor for cardiovascular disease, showed that vitamin C deficiency triggers vascular deposition of Lp(a) and atherosclerosis. In this study we used this mouse model to investigate the effect of cyclical vitamin C withdrawal and its continuous supplementation on metabolic factors related to cardiovascular health, such as lipid profile and vascular plaque development.

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DOI: 10.4172/2324-8602.1000369

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