Diet-induced hypercholesterolaemia in the rabbit.

Intraspecies variation in diet-induced hypercholesterolaemia in rabbits, simulating atherosclerosis, was studied. The chinchilla rabbit population examined contained several subpopulations, as indicated by polymodal forms of histograms of plasma cholesterol levels. This finding indicates that the inclusion of subpopulations in an investigation can lead to erroneous conclusions, and that subpopulations should be identified before such work is undertaken. The relationship between the molar cholesterol/phospholipid ratio in rabbit erythrocyte membranes and the plasma cholesterol level in experimental atherosclerosis was also studied. A correlation was evident only over the range of 1-5 g cholesterol per litre of plasma.