Mechanism of the variability in plasma cholesterol response to cholesterol feeding in rhesus monkeys

The response of plasma cholesterol to cholesterol feeding in rhesus monkeys varies widely among individual animals. Some develop severe hypercholesterolemia (the high-responders) while some show only a mild increase in plasma cholesterol concentration (the low-responders) with similar cholesterol intake. We have reviewed our studies on cholesterol absorption and metabolism in the high- and low-responding rhesus monkeys and conclude that the consistent observation that high-responders absorb significantly higher percentage of intestinal luminal cholesterol than the low-responders is one primary mechanism responsible for the differential response of plasma cholesterol to dietary cholesterol. We have discussed the significance of these findings in rhesus monkeys, an animal species used extensively as a model for atherosclerosis research, as they may relate to cholesterol metabolism in humans.