INVESTIGATIONS INTO HYPERLIPIDEMIA AND ITS POSSIBLE ...

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CHAPTER IV
LIPOPROTEIN PROFILING USING DENSITY GRADIENT
ULTRACENTRIFUGATION IN HEALTHY DOGS OF VARIOUS BREEDS,
HEALTHY MINIATURE SCHNAUZERS, AND MINIATURE SCHNAUZERS
WITH HYPERLIPIDEMIA
Introduction
The investigation of lipoprotein profiles in serum or plasma from healthy dogs
has been the subject of research since the 1940s. 1,2,6,8 Much of our current knowledge on
canine lipoproteins in dogs originates from studies reported in the 1970s, which
investigated dogs as possible models for human cardiovascular disease. 6,8,21 More recent
studies have investigated canine lipoproteins in association with several disease
conditions or physiologic stages. 11,12,17,19-21,273 These studies have provided important
information on the major serum lipoprotein fractions found in dogs, namely
chylomicrons, very low density lipoproteins (VLDL), low density lipoproteins (LDL),
and high density lipoproteins (HDL). With the development and increased availability of
advanced methodologies (e.g., nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, 274
newer
density gradient ultracentrifugation techniques, 28,275 surface enhanced laser desorption
ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (SELDI-TOF MS) 276 ), more detailed,
accurate, and effortless characterization of lipoprotein profiles in dogs should be
possible. Some studies in humans have suggested that the major serum lipoprotein
classes are each a very heterogeneous group of molecules that can be subdivided into