Effect of Choline and Riboflavin on Fecal Excretion of Cholesterol and Bile Acid of Albino Rats Kept on High Cholesterol Diet

Abstract

Kesten and silbowitz (1) noted that the level of plasma cholesterol was decreased in rabbits fed high levels of lecithin together with cholesterol. Lecithin has also been reported to lower serum cholesterol levels in man (2). It has been shown by Best et al. (3) that the active component of lecithin is choline. Kritchevsky et al. (4) have observed a lowering of serum cholesterol in rabbits after the injec tion of choline citrate. Harrill et al. (5) observed a lowering of cholesterol con tents in the liver of albino rats fed a high fat diet containing high level of ribo flavin. This method of decreasing cholesterol is of considerable interest in the study of arteriosclerosis and deserve further study. Since catabolism of cholesterol consists primarily in the conversion of bile acid (6) and appreciable amount of cholesterol is excreted in the feces, it was thought worthwhile to investigate whether or not choline and riboflavin will influence the fecal excretion of bile acid and cholesterol of animals kept on high cholesterol diet.

Influence of Riboflavin, Choline, Inositol and Niacin on the Hepatic Biosynthesis of Cholesterol of Albino Rats Kept on a High Cholesterol Diet

“…Choline was found to increase the fecal excretion of bile acid without showing any appreciable increase in the excretion of cholesterol in feces. Riboflavin was, however, found to have no influence on increase or decrease in the excretion of cholesterol and bile acid in the feces of the animals fed a high cholesterol diet (2). Schon (3) demonstrated that the in vitro formation of total hepatic cholesterol was depressed proportionately to the amount of niacin fed to rats .…”