Stimulation of Autophagy by Antilipolytic Drugs May Rescue Rodents from Age-Associated Hypercholesterolemia

Aging is characterized by several metabolic changes responsible for the decline of certain functions and the appearance of age-related diseases, including hypercholesterolemia, which is the main risk factor for atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. Similar changes in a number of morphological and biochemical parameters were observed in rats. Caloric restriction (CR) was shown to increase longevity and prevent age-related diseases in various organisms, and to counteract the age-associated increase in plasma cholesterol. CR was thought to operate through the stimulation of the process of macroautophagy. The aim of this work was to investigate the effect of the stimulation of macroautophagy on age-associated cholesterolemia. Mature Sprague–Dawley rats were fasted overnight and given the antilipolytic agent 3,5-dimethylpyrazole (DMP; 12 mg/kg b.w. in 0.2 mL of saline, intraperitoneally). The age-related changes in cholesterol plasma level, 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase (HMG-CoA-R) acti...