Modification in the transmural concentration of cholesterol and the transmural distribution of 131I-albumin in the aortas of pigs fed cholesterol: a preliminary report.

Transmural cholesterol concentrations and transmural distribution of intravenously injected 131I-albumin were measured simultaneously in the aorta of both normal and cholesterol-fed pigs. The characteristic profile of 131I-distribution across the normal pig aorta in areas of high and low permeability (as identified by Evans Blue dye) is modified by cholesterol feeding. Additionally, the transmural concentration of cholesterol, which is similar in areas of high and low permeability of the normal pig aorta, is remarkably higher in the intima of high permeability areas of aortas of cholesterol-fed pigs and suggests that differential permeability in focal areas of the aorta is important only under conditions of hyperlipemia.