Lymphatic transport of cholesterol in normocholesterolemic rats treated with pravastatin, an inhibitor of HMG-CoA reductase

Lymphatic absorption and transport of cholesterol and triacylglycerols were examined in rats treated with pravastatin, an inhibitor of 3-hydroxy-3-methyglutaryl-CoA (HMG-CoA) reductase. Pravastatin-treatment for 1, 7 and 28 days did not affect the recovery of cholesterol and triacylglycerols during 24 h after the lipid administration: the recovery was 52–59% and 82–93% for cholesterol and triacylglycerols, respectively. Rats treated with pravastatin for 28 days had a higher lymphatic recovery of the lipids during 3–6 h after the lipid administration than did control rats. Pravastatin treatment did not affect the ratio of phospholipid to cholesterol in the gut mucosa, the fatty acid composition of the lymph and mucosal lipids. We concluded that an inhibitor of HMG-CoA reductase would exert no adverse effect on absorption of fat-soluble nutrients by gut.