[Effect of vitamin C on cholesterol content of the intestinal wall in rabbits]

The purpose of this paper was to determine the level of cholesterol in the wall of individual intestine segments in rabbits after Vitamin C intake. The studies were carried out on 15 rabbits, 5 of which received standard diet, 5-0,5 g of cholesterol + 1 ml of sunflower oil + standard diet, and 5 rabbits--standard diet + 0,5 g of cholesterol + 1 ml of sunflower oil + 250 mg of vitamin C. After killing the rabbits, the level of total, free and fixed cholesterol in the wall of the stomach duodenum, jejunum, intestinum caecum and colon and in extracts of dry matter of the intestine walls prepared after Folch's method was determined by the method of Liberman and Burchart. Statistical significance of differences was determined by Student's test, assuming 5% estimate error. It was shown that the level of total cholesterol varied in the walls of individual intestine segments, was the highest in the duodenum--128,8% mg/g, the lowest in the colon--51,4 mg/g the tissue. After the diet enriched with cholesterol its level increased in the stomach and caecum, but in all intestine segments the relationship between free and fixed cholesterol changed. A decrease in total, free and fixed cholesterol in the wall of the alimentary canal of the rabbits followed the feeding them with vitamin C.