Inhibitory Effect of Cortisone Hyperlipemia on Arterial Lipid Deposition in Cholesterol-Fed Rabbits.

Abstract

The relationship of hypercholesterolemia and other forms of hyperlipemia to development of aortic atherosclerosis in cholesterol-fed rabbits subjected to alloxan, detergents, malnutrition, hyaluronidase as well as cortisone and ACTH are discussed. In the present expt., 3 groups, each of 6 young adult rabbits, were treated as follows: 1 group received only series of intramusc. injns. of cortisone, the 2d group received similar cortisone injns. and 1% cholesterol in their food, and the 3d group received only food containing 1% cholesterol. The expt. lasted 84 days but during the 1st, 3d and 5th 2-wk. periods the animals were placed on ordinary rabbit pellets and received no cortisone or cholesterol. The admn. of cortisone alone caused a marked alimentary type of hyperlipemia with the greatest increase in neutral fats. The cholesterol-fed rabbits treated with cortisone developed severer degrees of hypercholesterolemia and hyperlipemia than rabbits on cholesterol alone. The relative proportion of cholesterol in the serum lipids of cholesterol-fed rabbits on cortisone was less than in the serum lipids of rab -bits on cholesterol alone. Significantly less lipid was deposited in arteries of cortisone treated, cholesterol-fed animals than in cholesterol-fed controls. It is suggested that hyperlipemias in which the lipid fractions other than cholesterol undergo the greatest increase are less likely to be associated with arterial lipid deposition than hyperlipemic states in which cholesterol is the major constituent.