Abstract
The experiments were carried out to clarify the effect of pantethine on the atherosclerotic process.
Rats were fed on a normal or a high cholesterol diet with or without pantethine for 4 weeks in the following manner: 1) Normal diet, 2) Normal diet plus pantethine (200mg/day), 3) High cholesterol diet which contains 1% cholesterol-0.5% cholic acid and 4) High cholesterol diet plus pantethine. The following items were studied; effect of pantethine on 1) Plasma lipid level, 2) Free fatty acid metabolism in arterial wall, 3) Cholesterolester synthesis in arterial wall, and 4) Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) concentration in arterial wall.
1) Pantethine lowered serum cholesterol level of rats fed a high cholesterol diet. 2) An addition of pantethine in vitro increased acyl-CoA synthesis in arterial wall which in turn decreased free fatty acids that had inhibitory action of fibrinolysis. 3) Cholesterol-ester synthesis from (1-14C) palmitic acid in arterial wall was considerably increased high cholesterol diet. The increase was inhibited by administration of pantethine. 4) Pantethine lowered TBARS concentration of arterial wall of rats fed a high cholesterol diet. Above these results, effects and those mechanisms of pantethine on inhibition of progress of atherosclerosis were discussed.
