COMPARISON OF ATHEROGENICITY OF SOYBEAN OIL AND PEANUT OIL, AND EFFECT OF CLENTIAZEM ON DIET-INDUCED ATHEROSCLEROSIS IN RABBITS

Rabbits were fed with two kinds of atherogenic diet, one containing 0. 5% cholesterol and 3% soybean oil and the other 0.5% cholesterol and 6 % peanut oil, for three months to compare the atherogenic property of the diets. The soybean oil diet seemed to be superior to the peanut oi l diet for evaluation of the anti-atherogenic effect of drugs, because the former caused milder vascular lesions than the latter. Using this rabbit model for atherosclerosis, the anti-atherogenic effect of clen tiazem, a new calcium antagonist, was examined. Clentiazem at an oral dose of 30 mg/kg/day significantly reduced the size of atheromatous le sion in the aortic arch and thoracic aorta, and lowered the collagen c ontent of the aortic intima and media, although it did not decrease se rum lipid levels. On the other hand, clentiazem showed no clear effect on reducing the coronary atherosclerotic lesions. These results sugge st that clentiazem may inhibit the progression of diet-induced aortic atherosclerosis without normalizing the serum lipid levels.