Effects of High Cholesterol Diet on Newly Generated Cells in the Dentate Gyrus of C57BL/6N and C3H/HeN Mice

In this study, we observed and compared the effects of a high cholesterol diet (HCD) on cell proliferation and differentiation in the subgranular zone of the dentate gyrus of C57BL/6N (B6, susceptible strain) and C3H/HeN (C3H, resistant strain) mice. Ki67 (a marker for cell proliferation) positive cells) were significantly decreased in HCD-fed B6 mice compared to those in B6 (49.7%) and C3H mice fed a low cholesterol diet (LCD). In addition, doublecortin (DCX, a marker for cell differentiation or neuroblasts)-immunoreactive cells in HCD-fed B6 mice were significantly decreased compared to those in LCD-fed B6 and C3H mice. These results suggest that B6 strains are sensitive to HCD, which impairs cell proliferation and differentiation.