[Experimental peroxide atherosclerosis in rabbits]

The paper describes a procedure for reproduction of experimental peroxide atheroarteriosclerosis in rabbits by means of keeping the animals on a semi-natural antioxidant-free diet (casein, coconut oil, starch, sugar. extracted oats, dry yeast, straw, vitamins A and D, a mixture of salts). After 100 days of experimentation the mean area of the involved aorta constituted 72.9 +/- 6.1 %. The biochemical characteristics of experimental peroxide atheroarteriosclerosis is presented. The advantages of this model comparatively to the cholesterol and triglyceride-induced diseases are as follows: the similarity of the atherogenous diet to alimentary factors promoting atherosclerosis in man, endogenous nature of hypercholesterolemia and its moderate grade; development of destructive changes and calcinosis in the arteries in addition to lipidosis and fibrosis.