Atherosclerosis and myocardial ischemic lesions in alloxan-diabetic rabbits fed a low cholesterol diet.

To reinvestigate the relationship between diabetes and atherosclerosis in rabbits, we fed alloxan-diabetic, alloxan-nondiabetic, and control rabbits a low cholesterol atherogenic diet for up to 40 weeks. Concentrations of plasma total cholesterol, phospholipids, and triglycerides were higher, the percentage of very low density lipoproteins was higher, and the percentage of high density lipoproteins was lower in diabetic than in nondiabetic rabbits. Smooth muscle cell proliferation was prominent, atherosclerosis was more extensive, and a high incidence (29%) of large, sharply demarcated, ischemic myocardial lesions occurred in the diabetic rabbits. These results are in contrast to those of earlier studies where the diabetic state resulted in a partial protection against atherogenesis in alloxan-diabetic rabbits fed larger amounts of cholesterol.