Abstract: Objective To investigate the effect of cirrhosis on the development of atherosclerosis in vivo. Methods Normal male New Zealand white rabbits（n=40） were randomly divided into four groups,e.g. control （n=12）,high-fat （n=8）,carbon tetrachloride （CCl₄） （n=12） and combined treatment group （n=14）;Liver cirrhosis was induced by CCl4 injection and atherosclerosis by high fat diet（92% normal rabbit chow with 2% cholesterol and 6% lard） intake;Rabbits were sacrificed at the end of week 10 and serum aminotransferase,lipid,and fasting plasma glucose were examined and morphology changes in ascending aortas and livers were observed. ResultsAtherosclerosis was successfully induced by high-fat diet intake both in high-fat group and in combinational treatment group,while steatohepatitis-related cirrhosis was induced by CCl₄ administration and high fat diet intake in both groups;As compared with in control group,serum ALT and AST in CCl₄ group were increased significantly[（87.42±57.92）IU/L and （137.33±114.54）IU/L vs. （21.33±17.76） U/L and （63.67±29.06） IU/L,P<0.05],and significant liver steatosis,inflammation and fibrosis were also observed in CCl4-treated rabbits,but atherosclerosis were not found in ascending aortas;Serum aminotransferase,lipid and fasting plasma glucose in animals of high lipid diet were significantly higher than those in the controls（P<0.05）,in addition,significant liver steatosis,inflammation and fibrosis,and typical atherosclerosis plaques in ascending aortas were also observed in animals with high-fat diet intake;There were significant differences in serum alanine aminotransferase and intima-to-media （I/M） ratio of ascending aortas,but not in intima-media thickness（IMT）between the high fat group and the combinational treatment group. Conclusions A combination of high fat diet and CCl₄ aggravates liver inflammation but attenuates atherosclerosis induced by high fat diet in rabbits.

Key words: Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, Cirrhosis, Atherosclerosis, Carbon tetrachloride