Lipid metabolism in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR)

Plasma cholesterol was lower in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), while plasma triglyceride and free fatty acid were increased in comparison with control normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WK) rats. Correspondingly, [1-14C]-acetate incorporation into liver cholesterol was clearly decreased in SHR as compared with WK. As for lipogenic enzyme activities, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, malic enzyme and acetyl-CoA carboxylase in SHR were respectively decreased, increased and not significantly different, in comparison with WK rats. Liver cholesterol was rather low and cardiac triglyceride was slightly increased in SHR. Aortic cholesterol and triglyceride levels were not significantly different between SHR AND WK rats. Thus, SHR have an abnormality in lipid metabolism, especially in cholesterol synthesis, but the pathological implication of this in hypertension and related vascular lesions is not yet clear.