Effect of chronic uremia on plasma lipids and the aortic accumulation of cholesterol in hypercholesterolemic rabbits.

14 rabbits were made uremic by extensive cauterization and subsequent removal of the contralateral kidney, resulting in a mean plasma creatinine concentration four times the value observed in a sham-operated control group. The animals were killed after 10 weeks of uremia. During the last 7 weeks the rabbits were fed an individually adjusted amount of cholesterol in order to maintain the same elevated level of plasma cholesterol in both groups. The triglyceride concentration was four times higher in the uremic than in the control group. In spite of the same average level of total plasma cholesterol the uremic rabbits had a lower concentration of cholesterol in the VLDL-fraction than the controls. None of the aortas had intimal lesions macroscopically. There were no significant differences between the two groups in the 48-hour accumulation of radioactive cholesterol or in the amount of free and esterified cholesterol in the aortas. Thus, no significant effect on cholesterol accumulation by uremia in the aorta of hypercholesterolemic rabbits was demonstrated.