Effect of adrenaline on aortic structure and serum cholesterol in Macaca radiata

Abstract

Four groups of male monkeys were kept on stock diet and given three-graded doses of parenteral adrenaline, and distilled water as a control, over a period of 4-5 months. Eight of 11 monkeys receiving adrenaline showed focal intimal changes in the aorta characterised by accumulation of neutral fat and acid mucopolysaccharides. The monkeys receiving high doses of adrenaline showed a substantial fall in serum cholesterol at the end of 2 weeks and this fall was maintained throughout. In monkeys given distilled water as a control, the deviations of serum cholesterol from the initial levels were not significant. The hepatic cholesterol and lipid concentrations in the different groups were not significantly different from the controls.