ABSTRACT
Wistar rats, fed laborotory stock diets, were randomly divided into three groups, given cholesterol oxides (Och) and purified cholesterol (Pch) (at a dosage of 250mg/kg/day), and gelatin (control group) through stomach tube for 2 successive days. In the first part of the experiment, Evans blue, dissolved in normal saline, was injected into the tail veins 18 hrs after last tube feeding and the rats were killed 2 hrs following the injection, The aorta were excised for determination of the endothelial permeability by fluorophotometry. In the second part of the experiment, the rats were sacrificed 24 hrs after last tube feeding. The aorta were prepared for the observation of the aortic endothelium under scanning electronic microscope. The results showed that the endothelial permeability of rats fed Och was much higher than those fed Pch and gelatin (P0.05). Scanning electron microscopic observation showed that severe endothelial damage occ-ured in the Och rats, while the aortic endothelium from the rats fed Pch revealed relatively mild degeneration. Results were briefly disscussed.