Early change of vascular permeability in hypercholesterolemic rabbits

Abstract

To study the effect of hyperlipidemia on vascular permeability, serial anterior chamber fluorophotometric examinations were carried out on 33 control rabbits (group 1) and 32 diet-induced hypercholesterolemic (group 2) rabbits. Changes in the blood-aqueous barrier function associated with total serum cholesterol (CHO) and triglyceride (TG) levels were studied at the beginning of the study and every 2 weeks thereafter for up to 16 weeks following 0.5% cholesterol-enriched diet feeding. Concurrently, a slit-lamp biomicroscope was used to examine the iris for evidence of atheromatous plaque. In group 1, the CHO level decreased slightly during the first 6 weeks and remained rather steady thereafter. The status of the blood-aqueous barrier correlated significantly with serum CHO and TG levels (r=.46, P