You have no items in your shopping cart.
ABSTRACT
Cholesterol administration has been reported to influence lipid levels in rats. The aim of this present study was to evaluate and compare the effects of the chronic ingestion of cholesterol on the lipid profile of male and female Wistar rats. 12 rats (6 males and 6 females) were divided into 4 groups with 3 animals per group: normal control rats (male–XY and female - X); male rats treated with cholesterol (Group A); female rats treated with cholesterol (Group B). The bodyweight of the rats was determined at the beginning and end of the experimental period. After an acclimatization period of 1 week, the rats were treated for 4 weeks with a dose of 250mg/kg/day after which serum was collected to measure lipid profile and results were compared with normal control group and cholesterol ingested group. The results are presented as Mean +/- SEM (Standard Error of Mean) and P-Value less than (<) 0.05 considered statistically significant. Results showed a significant increase in the level of low-density lipoprotein in cholesterol-treated male animals when compared with the control group of male animals. There was no statistically significant difference in the level of lipoproteins across all other groups. There was also a significant increase in the final body weight of the control group of female animals when compared to cholesterol ingested female group. In conclusion, the chronic ingestion of cholesterol seems to affect the low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels in males compared to that of females hence it can be said that males are at greater risk of heart disease than females.
