[The effect of contrasting fat diets on the cholesterol-esterifying activity of the blood plasma]

The blood plasma cholesterol (CS) level increased by 170% due CS of atherogenic lipoproteins (LP) in dogs that received atherogenic rations including lamb fat (LF) (group 1) during 2 months. In dogs of group 2 that received atherogenic rations including sunflower oil (SFO), the total content of CS in the blood plasma rose only by 50%, the portion of high density LP (HDLP) decreased from 73 to 25% in both groups of animals. LF and SFO produced no effect on the plasma CS level, when the dogs did not receive excessive CS in the ration (groups 3 and 4). SFO induced reduction in the rate of the lecitin-cholesterolacyltransferase (LCAT) reaction, both in normal and excessive CS consumption. Nevertheless, the ratio free CS/CS esters was lowered that denoted the appearance in the blood of CS esters, the nature of which was not associated with the LCAT reaction. In the animals of groups 1, 2 and 3 the share of oleic acid in phosphatidylcholine of HDLP increased (in group 3 this increase was most manifest), while the portion of stearic acid significantly diminished.