Formation of cholesta-3:5-dien-7-one in rats

Abstract

Adult male rats given a diet containing 2% cholesterol for 60 days were compared with similar rats on the same diet minus cholesterol. Cholesterol feeding substantially reduced the liver store of vitamin A. Control animals showed a trace (0.06 mg/rat) of cholesta-3:5-dien-7-one in the liver, whereas cholesterol-fed animals had 0.6 mg/ rat. 7-Dehydrocholesterol was present to a greater extent in the livers of the cholesterol-fed animals than in the controls and in the intestinal tissue after cholesterol feeding.