The effect of pancreatectomy on lipemia, tissue lipidosis and atherogenesis in chicks.

Following complete pancreatectomy, chicks exhibit an excessive hypercholesterolemia wshen fed a diet containing cholesterol plus cottonseed oil. This inordinate hypercholesterolemia is accompanied by intensified atherogenesis, compared with unoperated controls on the same diet. Dietary neutral fat is essential for these excessive cholesterolemic and atherogenic responses. The possible significance of these findings for the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis in diabetic man is discussed.