Alimentary Production of Gallstones in Hamsters. 6. Disappearance of Cholesterol Stones by Treatment with a Non‐lithogenic Diet.

Abstract

In previous communications (DAM and CHRISTENSEN 1952, CHRISTENSEN, DAM and PRANGE 1952, CHRISTENSEN andDAM 1954) we have described the alimentary production of gallstones and the prevention of galIstone formation in hamsters. We have now tried t o cure the alimentary cholelithiasis in hamst,ers by changing the diet from a lithogenic t o a non-lithogenic type. Experimental.The lithogenic diet was diet no. 295 (CHRISTENSEN, DAM and PRANGE 1952). The non-lithogenic diet (no. 493) contained ground polished rice, Fleischmann yeast type 2019, a small amount of cupric sulfate, a larger amount of Iard than diet 295, and no sucrose. The exact composition of the two diets appears from table 1.Thirty-two hamsters were used for the experiment. They were divided into three groups: A, B and C. Each of groups A and C consisted of 10 animals (5 males and 5 females). Group B consisted of 12 animals (6 males and 6 females). At the beginning of the experiment the hamsters were about 29 days old and weighed about 43 g. All three groups received the lithogenic diet no. 295 for 63 days. Thereafter the animals in group A were killed and autopsied, the gallstones collected, washed in distilled water, dried, weighed, photographed and analyzed for cholesterol by the method of HANEL and DAM (1955). The animals of group B continued on the lithogenic diet for an extra 77 day period, so that when they 0 .-I c e &Jj 4 5 m 10 m 12 m 78 m 89 m 28 f 59 f 62 f 64 f 86 f A 17 m 25 m 40 m 24 m 51 m 58 m 36 f B

Cholelithiasis induced in the Syrian hamster: Evidence for an intramucinous nucleating process and down regulation of cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase (CYP7) gene by medroxyprogesterone

“…The Syrian hamster (Mesocricetus auratus Waterhouse) has been used in our laboratory as an experimental model to study the hepatobiliary system, since this rodent has a gallbladder, and the bile composition is similar to humans (Andersen and Cook, 1986;Reyes and Kern, 1979). A diet rich in cholesterol induces gallstones in hamsters (Dam, 1952;Dam and Christensen, 1952) while a diet containing high casein with vitaminized lard can be stone-dissolving (Christensen et al, 1956). The hamster has been used similarly to other small mammals (mouse, ground squirrel, guinea pig, dog, prairie dog, and rabbit) to study cholelithiasis and other physiological parameters associated with changes in the hepatobiliary tract (reviewed by Dam, 1971).…”