Experimental atherosclerosis in rats fed a vitamin D, cholesterol-rich diet.

Atherosclerotic lesions of the aorta and coronary arteries were induced in rats fed a diet supplemented with cholesterol and vitamin D2 for 8 weeks. Rats fed a purified diet supplemented with 1% cholesterol and 1.25 million units of vitamin D2/kg of diet showed cholesterol deposition in the aorta but no abnormal findings were observed either macroscopically or microscopically in the aorta and coronary arteries. Rats fed a diet supplemented with 1.5% cholesterol and 1.8 million units of vitamin D2/kg of diet showed no only marked deposition of cholesterol and calcium but also extensive macroscopic lesions of atherosclerosis in the aorta and coronary arteries. No significant deposition of cholesterol and calcium in the aorta of rats fed the diet without the vitamin D2 supplement was observed in either experiment.