Effects of melatonin on genetic hypercholesterolemia in rats.
Administration of the pineal hormone melatonin to genetically hypercholesterolemic rats resulted in a decrease in plasma cholesterol levels and in an improvement of fatty changes of the liver. Thus, the antihyperlipemic effect of melatonin, which was first discovered in hypercholesterolemia produced by short- or long-term administration of glucocorticoids, has now been proved to be rather universal and not simply anti-glucocorticoidal. The mechanism of the decrease of plasma cholesterol levels remains unknown. It was also found that the pathogenesis of this so-called genetic hypercholesterolemia in rats involved biochemical nephrotic changes and histopathological changes in the kidney.
Aoyama
H
H
Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Japan.
Mori
N
N
Mori
W
W
D000818:Animals; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000473:pathology; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D000960:Hypolipidemic Agents; D007668:Kidney / Q000473:pathology; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008550:Melatonin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D051381:Rats
D000960:Hypolipidemic Agents; D002784:Cholesterol; D008550:Melatonin