Blood lipids in young and adult Watanabe Heritable Hyperlipidemic (WHHL) and adult normolipidemic rabbits — straln and sex dlfferences

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine blood lipids in homozygous WHHL rabbits from 11 to 23 weeks of life and to examine blood lipids of adult WHHL and normolipidetnic rabbits for strain and sex differences. In homozygous WHHL males plasma cholesterol did not change significantly from the 11th to 23rd week of age but their triglyceride level at 23 week of age was significantly lower (p<0.05) than at the 11th and 19th week of age. No significant changes with age were recorded for females apart from a transient increase in plasma cholesterol and triglycerides at the 19th week of age (p<0.05). The females had plasma cholesterol significantly higher than males at the 15th and 19th weeks of age (p<0.05) and the female triglyceride level was significantly lower than in males at the 11th week of age (p<0.05'). N0 sex difference was seen in blood lipids of 23 weeks old and adult homozygous WHHLS. The adult homozygous WHHL rabbits had significantly higher levels of plasma cholesterol and triglycerides compared to heterozygous WHHLS and normolipfiideniie rabbits due to significantly elevated LDL, VLDL and IDL (p<0.05). Blood lipids of aduh heterozygous WHHL and normolipidemic rabbits of different strains were comparable. The heterozygous WHHL females and females from the normolipidemic strains had a higher plasma cholesterol level than males.