Cholesteryl ester transfer protein expression attenuates atherosclerosis in ovariectomized mice

Reduced estrogen levels result in loss of protec- tion from coronary heart disease in postmenopausal women. Enhanced and diminished atherosclerosis have been associ- ated with plasma levels of cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP); however, little is known about the role of CETP- ovarian hormone interactions in atherogenesis. We assessed the severity of diet-induced atherosclerosis in ovariecto- mized (OV) CETP transgenic mice crossbred with LDL re- ceptor knockout mice. Compared with OV CETP express- ing ( � ), OV CETP non-expressing ( � ) mice had higher plasma levels of total, VLDL-, LDL-, and HDL-cholesterol, as well as higher antibodies titers against oxidized LDL. The mean aortic lesion area was 2-fold larger in OV CETPthan in OV CETPmice (147 � 90 vs. 73 � 42 � 10 3 � m 2 , respec-