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Updated: Sep 20, 2026

Differential Effects of Lipid-lowering Drugs in Modulating Morphology of Cholesterol Particles
Published on: November 10, 2017
High-cholesterol diets induce changes in lipid composition of rat erythrocyte membrane including decrease in
Shiro Mawatari1, Yasushi Ohnishi, Yoshikazu Kaji
1Department of Nutrition and Health Science, Faculty of Human Environmental Science, Fukuoka Women's University, Japan. s-mawatari@fwu.ac.jp
Abstract:
Effects of high dietary cholesterol on erythrocyte membrane lipids were studied. Feeding rats with a diet containing 0.5% cholesterol and 0.15% sodium cholate for two weeks induced changes in erythrocyte membrane lipids including a decrease in cholesterol, an increase in alpha-tocopherol (alpha-Toc) and changes in the fatty acid composition of phospholipids. Oleic acid and linoleic acid increased, while arachidonic acid decreased in phosphatidylcholine. Saturated fatty acids decreased and unsaturated fatty acids increased in phosphatidylethanolamine. Almost the same changes in membrane lipids were also noted after six weeks of feeding rats with the diet. A diet containing 0.5% cholesterol but without sodium cholate caused a decrease in erythrocyte cholesterol and an increase in erythrocyte alpha-Toc after two weeks of feeding, as compared to the basal diet, indicating that high dietary cholesterol, but not sodium cholate, was responsible for these changes in the erythrocyte membrane.
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