The resorption rate of atheroma lipids in situ and implanted subcutaneously.

Resorption rates have been investigated in the rabbit for atheroma-lipids and cholesterol injected subcutaneously, atheroma lipids in situ in the mildly atheromatous aorta and lipid in the degenerating peripheral nerve. Atheroma lipids injected subcutaneously resorb relatively rapidly, subcutaneous cholesterol and lipid in Wallerian degeneration are intermediate in this respect, whereas only the group with an initially low blood cholesterol (small than approximately equal to 100 mg/100 ml) showed even a suggestion of lipid resorption from their mild or trivial atheromatous lesions. Ti is not clear whether or not atheroma resorbed at all in the groups with initial blood cholesteroles above 100 mg//00 ml. The relative inertia of the arthromatous lesion is mainly attributed to the relative absence of reticuloendothelial phagocytes in it.