Ultrastructural study of malonaldehyde-induced arterial lesions in chickens

The effects of malonaldehyde on the arteries of chickens were studied in a 4-week treatment of a subcutaneous injection of 1 ml of 50% malonaldehyde in corn oil per kg of body weight 3 times a week and/or ad libitum feeding of a 1% cholesterol containing diet. The malonaldehyde had little effect on plasma cholesterol and triglyceride levels. However, degenerate cells without stainable lipid were frequently observed in the arteries of these chickens. Ad libitum feeding of a 1% cholesterol-containing diet produced no significant degenerative changes in the arterial smooth muscle cells. A combination treatment of cholesterol feeding and malonaldehyde injections resulted in a significant increase in the number of degenerate cells without stainable lipid and lipid-containing cells in the plaque of the abdominal aortas. These results indicate that malonaldehyde is a potent angiotoxin.