Serum and aortic lipid profiles in spontaneous and cholesterol-induced atherosclerosis in Rhesus monkeys.

Serum lipids and lipoproteins and various lipid fractions in the aorta were compared in spontaneously-occurring and cholesterol-induced atherosclerosis of rhesus monkeys. A group of 30 normal monkeys were also studied. Serum cholesterol, total phospholipid and triglyceride values in spontaneous atherosclerosis were similar to normal, but were significantly elevated in cholesterol-induced atherosclerosis. Fractionation of the major phospholipids in animals with spontaneous atherosclerosis showed increased PC with decreased LPC and SP + LPE, while PE was elevated and SP + LPE diminished in cholesterol-induced atherosclerosis. Beta-lipoproteins were markedly increased in cholesterol-induced atherosclerosis, but remained normal in spontaneous atherosclerosis. Among the aortic lipid, PC and PE were significantly elevated in spontaneous atherosclerosis, but in cholesterol-induced atherosclerosis all the neutral lipids were raised, together with a specific rise of PC and decrease of SP + LPE. These observations tend to indicate that the mechanism of atherosclerosis production in the two states greatly varies.