[The antiatherogenic action of plant oils with added omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids]. / Antiaterogennoe deistvie rastitel'nykh masel s dobavkoi omega-3 polinenasyshchennykh zhirnykh kislot.

Quick model of experimental atherosclerosis--3 weeks of cholesterol feeding and 3 weeks of standard diet for aorta atheromatosis development--was used in rabbits. Then one group of animals was fed 1 month by plant oil of specific composition, with added omega-3 (linolenic) fatty acid, and the other group received the same dose of fish oil. The most intensive decrease of plasma cholesterol and erythrocyte cholesterol/phospholipid ratio was in rabbits, that received the oil with linolenic acid. Triglyceride level decreased gradually in all animal groups in the same degree, and HOL cholesterol did not change. After the end of experiment the aorta damage degree in group, that received plant oil with linolenic acid, was only 10.8%, as compared with 36.2% in control group (without treatment) and 39.3% in rabbits, that received fish oil. The absence of fish oil effect supports the earlier data about rabbits specific sensitivity to this product resulting in possible hepatotoxic effect. The data indicates on the usefulness of rabbit model in fish oil effects investigations, and also on the positive, antiatherogenic effect of plant oil with added linolenic acid.

[Analysis of free cholesterol levels in human serum using holotoxin A1]. / Opredelenie soderzhaniia svobodnogo kholesterina v syvorotke krovi cheloveka s ispol'zovaniem golotoksina A1.

Triterpene glycosides from holothurians holotoxin A1, stichoposides C and D were used for assay of blood serum free cholesterol instead of digitonin. Blood serum lipids were extracted by a mixture of acetone-ethanol (1:1). Free cholesterol was precipitated from the extract after addition of the glycosides and analyzed in reactions with acetic anhydride, acetic and sulfuric acids. These results were compared with the data of an enzymatic test for estimation of free cholesterol. Holotoxin A1 from Stichopus japonicus enabled to obtain results similar to those demonstrated with digitonin (r = 0.98). Holotoxin A1 may be used instead of digitonin in clinical practice for assay of free cholesterol content in blood serum.