Abstract
Rabbits (New Zealand, albino, females) on a cholesterol (1%) diet and injected with nicotine (2.78 mg/kg 5 days a week for 6 weeks) demonstrated wider areas of involvement of the internal surface (9.4% vs. 5.7%) in the aorta than rabbits on a cholesterol diet alone. In both stock-fed and cholesterol-fed animals, nicotine produced an increase in aortic triglycerides and a decrease in the free cholesterol content. An increase in phospholipids, particularly in lecithin and cephalin, was observed in the cholesterol-fed rabbits treated with nicotine. Aortic acid mucopolysaccharide composition did not exhibit any significant changes following nicotine treatment. In experiments in vitro, it was shown that heparin and nicotine form a relatively stable complex, in a molar ratio of about 1:20; nicotine also inhibits the hydrolysis of 14C-labeled triolein in a homogenate from rabbit aortic tissue. It is suggested that some of the biological effects of nicotine may be the result of a complex formation between nicotine and heparin in vivo.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
