Effects of High Cholesterol Feeding on Regulation of Plasma Lipids and Reverse Cholesterol Transport in Rabbits

this study was conducted to examine the atherogenic effect of high cholesterol diet (experimental diet) that influences changes of lipoprotein cholesterol metabolism and arterial wall. Seven NewZealand white rabbits were fed control diet, an the other 7 rabbits 2% cholesterol diet for 10 weeks. Results obtained from this study are as follows: 1) High cholesterol diet resulted in a gradual increase of plasma total cholesterol level, reaching upto 1422 mg/dl at the seventh week. 2) CETP (cholesteryl ester transfer protein) activity was significantly higher in high cholesterol group (64.9% at the 7th week) than control group (49.3% at the 7th week) during most of the experimental period except the 6th week. 3) The cholesterol supplementation induced fatty liver and a decrease of hepatic HMG-CoA reductase activities (2.1 moles vs. 0.3nmoles) compared to control group. 4) Bands of apo B-100 and apo E in plasma lipoprotein were thicker in high cholesterol-fed animals tan control animals as visualized by SDS-PAGE. 5) Oxidizability of plasma lipoproteins measured in vitro was greater in high cholesterol group tan control group, but vitamin E level higher in control group. 6) he effect of cholesterol feeding for 10 weeks also led to early fatty streaks in aortic intima. High cholesterol feeding was atherogenic to rabbits, an this seems to be mediated through elevated CETP activities that regulate plasma HDL cholesterol level and decrease an efficiency of reverse cholesterol transport in lipoprotein cholesterol metabolism. The enhanced oxidizability of plasma lipoproteins and lowered vitamin E level may also contribute to the formation of faaty streaks in aorta of cholesterol-fed rabbits.