Policosanol is a mixture of higher aliphatic
alcohols purified from
sugar cane wax, with
cholesterol-lowering effects demonstrable in experimental models and in patients with type II
hypercholesterolemia. The protective effects of
policosanol on atherosclerotic lesions experimentally induced by
lipofundin in rabbits and rats and spontaneously developed in stumptail monkeys have been described. The present study was conducted to determine whether
policosanol administered orally to rabbits with exogenous
hypercholesterolemia also protects against the development of atherosclerotic lesions. Male New Zealand rabbits weighing 1.5 to 2 kg were randomly divided into three experimental groups which received 25 or 200 mg/kg
policosanol (N = 7) orally for 60 days with
acacia gum as vehicle or
acacia gum alone (control group, N = 9). All animals received a
cholesterol-rich diet (0.5%) during the entire period. Control animals developed marked
hypercholesterolemia, macroscopic lesions and arterial intimal thickening. Intima thickness was significantly less (32.5 +/- 7 and 25.4 +/- 4 microm) in hypercholesterolemic rabbits treated with
policosanol than in controls (57.6 +/- 9 microm). In most
policosanol-treated animals, atherosclerotic lesions were not present, and in others, thickness of fatty streaks had less foam cell layers than in controls. We conclude that
policosanol has a protective effect on the atherosclerotic lesions occurring in this experimental model.