Reverse cholesterol transport in the rat following a short-term intravenous infusion of fat emulsion

The effect on cholesterol transport of an intravenous infusion of a fat emulsion (10%) Intralipid or 10% Lipovenös) in vivo was investigated in the rat. Intralipid (1.85 ml/hr/kg body weight in rts for 3 hr) caused a reduction (P < 0.05) in free cholesterol in the aorta (by 25%), in plasma high-density lipoproteins (64%) and in erythrocytes (11%) with a concomitant enrichment of liver free cholesterol (16%), suggesting an enhanced reverse cholesterol transport in this species. Lipovenös under the same conditions gave similar results. Our data support our previous in vivo study in man indicating that infusion of a fat emulsion is able even to remove cholesterol from the arterial wall and thereby possibly be considered as an antiatherosclerotic agent.