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Squibb Institute for Medical Research, New Brunswick, New Jersey
The ethyl esters of the polyunsaturated fatty acids of cod liver oil reduced the hypercholesterolemia produced in rats fed diets supplemented with a coconut oil, cholesterol, and sodium taurocholate. As little as 0.1% ethyl ester added to the diet caused a reduction of blood cholesterol concentration in the hypercholesterolemic rat. The hypocholesterolemic activity of the polyunsaturated fatty esters was sustained after withdrawal of the fatty esters from the ration. Long-term feeding of the polyunsaturated fatty esters resulted in a consistent lower blood cholesterol through the duration of a 154-day feeding experiment. Control animals fed the hypercholesterolemic diet attained high blood cholesterol values which declined after 7 weeks; however, their blood cholesterol level never reached the lower value of the polyunsaturated fatty ester supplemented rats. Subcutaneous administration of the polyunsaturated fatty esters also caused a reduction in the blood cholesterol of hypercholesterolemic rats. It is suggested that the polyunsaturated fatty acids function through different mechanisms in reducing blood cholesterol levels in the rat and chicken.