EFFECTS OF ETHYL-LINOLEATE ON THE ATHEROMATOUS CHANGES CAUSED BY HIGH CHOLESTEROL DIET IN THE RABBIT

Since lowering effects of essential fatty acids and vegetable oil on the blood cholesterol level were reported by Tuttle (1), Kinsell et al. (2) and Vles et al. (3), the similar studies were further extended to unsaturated fatty acids of longer chains. The lowering effects of pure linoleate and arachidonate on the elevated blood cholesterol level were presented by Kinsell et al. (2) and Kingsbury (4). However, the recent study by Beveridge and Connell (5) has shown that the large doses of margarine which contained large amounts of unsaturated fatty acids produced a slight elevation of the blood cholesterol level in humans. The histologically atherosclerotic or atheromatous changes of the tissues in rabbits caused by feeding with the diet containing between 1 and 3% of cholesterol for about 60 days were confirmed by many investigators including the present authors (6). In the present experiments attempts were made to observe the effects of mixing of linoleic acid ethylester in the high cholesterol diet on the atheromatous changes and to compare the difference in the effects of the mixings between the saturated and unsaturated fatty acids.