Anti-atherosclerotic activity of colestipol hydrochloride in SEA quail

Young, male, SEA (Susceptible to Experimental Atherosclerosis) Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) were fed an atherogenic diet consisting of yellow corn meal and soybean meal supplemented with 2% cholesterol and 1% cholic acid. A control group of ten animals was fed the atherogenic diet for eight weeks, and another group was fed the same diet containing 2% colestipol hydrochloride for the same length of time. At the end of the treatment period serum and arterial total cholesterols were measured and extent of macroscopic atherosclerotic lesions assessed. Colestipol hydrochloride treatment significantly reduced both serum and arterial total cholesterol levels by 50 and 59%, respectively. Grossly visible atherosclerosis was significantly reduced by 64%. These data further demonstrate that male SEA quail are an appropriate and relevant small animal model for examining the cardiovascular effects of bile acid sequestrants.