Effect of cholesterol-enriched diet on liver and heart enzymes in male rabbits.

White New Zealand male rabbits were fed a high-cholesterol (1%) diet for 7 weeks. The activity of alkaline phosphatase (AP), alanine (AlaAT), aspartate (AspAT) aminotransferases and level of glucose in the blood plasma of rabbits was determined and compared with those of a control group of animals. The cholesterol-enriched diet resulted in increases in plasma AlaAT and AP activity and a decrease in plasma glucose. In the liver, cholesterol treatment decreased the activity of AspAT, AlaAT, AP, phosphoglucomutase, phosphofructokinase, pyruvate kinase and lactate dehydrogenase. Activities of glucosephosphate isomerase, aldolase and the level of glycogen were not affected. No statistically significant changes in the activity of examined enzymes in heart of rabbits fed with cholesterol-enriched diet were observed. Chronic intake of cholesterol in the diet had a negative effect on liver metabolism but not on heart metabolism in rabbits.