Lipid Pattern in Experimental Canine Atherosclerosis

Abstract

An experiment was conducted to compare the effects of feeding cholesterol alone, thiouracil alone, and cholesterol and thiouracil combined, on the serum lipids and arteries of dogs. These substances were added to a basal diet rich in linoleic acid. Serum cholesterol and total serum lipids were determined periodically during the four-month period of feeding, and serum and tissue lipids obtained at necropsy were fractionated and analyzed by silicic acid column and gas chromatography. During the period of feeding the experimental diets, three levels of hypercholesterolemia and hyperlipemia were produced. The smallest increase over control levels occurred in the animals receiving cholesterol alone; an intermediate increase was produced in those receiving thiouracil alone; and the greatest increase occurred in the group receiving both cholesterol and thiouracil. The lipemia was proportional to the cholesterolemia in each of the experimental groups. Only those dogs receiving both cholesterol and thiouracil developed arterial lesions.