EFFECT OF GARLIC OIL ON PLASMA, ERYTHROCYTE AND ERYTHROCYTE-MEMBRANE TOTAL LIPIDS, CHOLESTEROL AND PHOSPHOLIPID LEVELS OF HYPERCHOLESTEROLEMIC DOGS

30 Adult mongrel dogs were assigned randomly to three groups with 10 a nimals each. Group 1 served as normal controls and were fed a standard control diet for 9 weeks. Group 2 animals received the control diet p lus 0.5% cholesterol powder for 9 weeks and Group 3 animals were fed t he control diet plus 0.5% cholesterol for 6 weeks and received the con trol diet containing 5% cholesterol plus garlic oil at the rate of 20 mg kg(-1) body weight daily for the last 3 weeks of the experiment. Th e cholesterol-rich diet significantly increased plasma total lipid, to tal cholesterol and phospholipid levels in Groups 2 and 3 as compared with normally fed dogs' pre-experiment values of Groups 2 and 3 (p < 0 .05). Also, erythrocyte and erythrocyte membrane total lipid, choleste rol and phospholipid levels were significantly elevated by the cholest erol-rich diet in Groups 2 and 3 animals (p < 0.05). After 3 weeks of garlic oil administration in Group 3, plasma, erythrocyte and erythroc yte membrane total lipid, total cholesterol and phospholipid levels si gnificantly decreased (p < 0.05) as compared to those in animals recei ving cholesterol diet alone. However, their levels were still higher t han in this group before the experiment and than those in control dogs . A comparison between Groups 2 and 3 shows that garlic oil had a redu cing effect on plasma and erythrocytes and their membrane lipids, and prevents the alimentary hyperlipidaemia.