Antihypercholesterolemic effect of dipyridamole in chickens

The administration of a 4 mg/kg dose of dipyridamole daily in chickens fed a diet supplemented with 2% cholesterol reversed the hypercholesterolemic effects of the diet. In particular, it reduced the plasma cholesterol concentration in approximately 18%; the levels of very-low-density lipoproteins and intermediate-density lipoproteins and the liver cholesterol content. Although the mechanism was not fully elucidated, the increased excretion of cholesterol seemed to be responsible for the lipid lowering effect. When dipyridamole was administered in chickens fed the same diet without cholesterol no significant changes were observed. Inasmuch as the chicken lipoprotein metabolism differs in several aspects to human, the extrapolation of the hypocholesterolemic effect of dipyridamole to man must be made with care.