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Effects of short-term niacin treatment on plasma lipoprotein concentrations in African green monkeys (Chlorocebus aethiops)

Lab Animal volume 43, pages 58–62 (2014)Cite this article

Abstract

Niacin is the most effective drug available for raising levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. To evaluate its effects on plasma lipid concentrations, the authors administered a low dose of niacin to healthy, adult, female African green monkeys for 3 months. In the treated monkeys, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations decreased by 43% from baseline, whereas concentrations of HDL cholesterol and apolipoprotein A-I increased by 49% and 34%, respectively. The results suggest that in this primate model, a low dose of niacin can effectively increase concentrations of HDL cholesterol.

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Figure 1: Plasma lipoprotein concentrations (mean ± s.e.m.) in African green monkeys during and after niacin treatment.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the Primate Unit of the South African Medical Research Council. We thank Joritha van Heerden, Timothy Collop and Abraham Davids for their excellent technical assistance and expertise in primate management.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Medical Research Council Primate Unit, Tygerberg, South Africa

    Chesa G. Chauke &  Jurgen V. Seier

  2. Biotechnology Department, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa

    Zainunisha Arieff &  Mandeep Kaur

  3. Computational Bioscience Research Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia

    Mandeep Kaur

Authors
  1. Chesa G. Chauke
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  2. Zainunisha Arieff
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  3. Mandeep Kaur
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  4. Jurgen V. Seier
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Correspondence to Chesa G. Chauke.

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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Chauke, C., Arieff, Z., Kaur, M. et al. Effects of short-term niacin treatment on plasma lipoprotein concentrations in African green monkeys (Chlorocebus aethiops). Lab Anim 43, 58–62 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/laban.424

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