Abstract

Nonhuman primates (NHPs) share with humans many features of lipid metabolism and often develop all features of the metabolic syndrome, including hypertriglyceridemia and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and have been used in many studies of potential therapeutics during the preclinical phase. Here we identify for the first time in middle-aged and older rhesus the natural occurrence of hypercholesterolemia, and this hypercholesterolemia develops despite maintenance on a low-cholesterol diet.

Keywords: Nonhuman primates, Syndrome, Lipoprotein  

Fig.1.Frequency distribution of total cholesterol in normal,healthy, adult rhesus monkeys (ages 3-40 years, n = 123)(excluding any prediabetic or diabetic monkeys andmonkeys with evidence of illness, eg, elevated enzymes)showing (A) the median and elevated (85th and 95thpercentiles) total cholesterol levels (mean concentration ± SEM: 3.7 ± 0.02), (B) the median and elevated LDL-C levels(1.6 ± 0.02), and (C) the median and decreased (5th and 15thpercentiles) HDL-C levels (1.6 ± 0.02).

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