Female rabbits fed cholesterol-rich diet during pregnancy and/or lactation developed hypercholesterolemia and their progeny had higher lipid levels than the progeny of normolipidemic females. The weight of rabbits born from or fed by females with alimentary hypereholesterolemia was lower than normal during the entire observation period (40 weeks). After weaning (at the age of 6 weeks), serum concentrations of cholesterol and triglyeerides in the progeny were higher than in adult animals. Key Words: alimentary hypercholesterolemia; progeny; cholesterol; pregnancy; lactationThe role of hereditary factors in lipid metabolism in humans and animals has been extensively studied. Changes in blood content of lipids (hyperlipidemia) in the mother affects cholesterol (CS) homeostasis even if the child does not inherit hyperlipidemia. This problem received little attention, and contradictory results were obtained. We studied the effect of alimentary hypereholesterolemia (HCS) in rabbits during pregnancy and/or lactation on blood lipid levels in the progeny. MATERIALS AND METHODSThree groups of rabbits were studied. Group 1 (control, n=8) consisted of the progeny of 4 females fed standard diet; group 2 (n=8) consisted of the progeny of 6 females fed 0.5 g CS daily during the second half (15 days) of pregnancy and during lactation (30 days); and group 3 (n=8) included the progeny of 2 females fed CS in the same dose during lactation.Serum CS and triglycerides (TG) were measured in females with an AA-II autoanalyzer (Technicon) [2] before experiment and at the end of lactation and in their progeny at the age of 6, 15-20 weeks (period of sexual maturation), and 35-40 weeks (in adult