Plasma lipoprotein profiles and arylesterase activities in two inbred strains of rabbits with high or low response of plasma cholesterol to dietary cholesterol.

Cholesterol feeding for 4 weeks of female and male rabbits of two inbred strains increased plasma cholesterol concentrations by about 11 and 48 mmole/1 in the hypo- and hyperresponsive strain, respectively. On the low-cholesterol pre-experimental diet, the hyporesponsive animals had significantly higher plasma HDL (high density protein) cholesterol levels than hyperresponders. In both strains, cholesterol feeding caused elevations of cholesterol in all lipoprotein classes, the difference between the hypo- and hyperresponsive strains in essence only being observed in the VLDL (very low density lipoprotein) fraction. Basal plasma total arylesterase activity was significantly higher in the hypo- than in the hyperresponsive rabbits. Dietary cholesterol caused an increase in plasma esterase activity in both We suggest that in rabbits a low plasma arylesterase activity and a low concentration of HDL cholesterol are associated with an increased sensitivity to dietary cholesterol.