Histological changes in aortic wall of rabbits fed on diets rich in cholesterol and olive oil

Dietary fat is one of the most important environmental factors associated withthe incidence of cardiac diseases; diets high in cholesterol and saturated fat havebeen shown to promote atherosclerosis. Conversely, dietary polyunsaturated fats have been shown to reduce its development in several species. The role of various dietary lipids in the control of atherosclerosis is of considerable interest as dietary lipids play an important role in biochemical and physiological processes of vascular tissues and heart function. The present work aimed to study the protective effect of olive oil against the histopathological alterations induced by cholesterol in the aorta of rabbit. For the study 18 male Indian rabbits weighing 2-2.5 kg were randomly divided in 3 experimental groups; group A rabbits served as control, group B rabbits were fed on increased cholesterol diets and group C rabbits fed on olive oil. On histological examination after 60 days fibrofatty plaques were observed in aortic wall of only group B rabbits.