New Zealand rabbits in 4 groups were fed on a basal diet for 16 weeks or on the basal diet and 2% cholesterol for 8 weeks and then the basal diet only for 8 weeks, without or with injections of iron-dextran as Imferon 3 times per week for the last 8 weeks. The 4th group had the basal diet with 2% cholesterol and Imferon 3 times per week for 16 weeks. Serum cholesterol and total lipids were measured every 2 weeks.

On the basal diet serum cholesterol ranged from 22.7 to 98.1 mg% initially and increased to 43.6 to 143.5 mg% after 16 weeks. The rabbits given cholesterol had initial serum cholesterol ranging from 35.7 to 1381 mg% and increasing to 635 to 2775 mg%. In the third group initial values for serum cholesterol were 35.5 to 70 mg% and increased to 1400 to 5860 mg% after 8 weeks; at the end of the last 8 weeks, with Fe but no cholesterol, they were 58 to 520 mg%. In the 4th group the initial cholesterol values were 40 to 80 mg% and increased after 16 weeks to 58 to 520 mg%. Thus rabbits given irondextran had lower serum cholesterol. The changes in total lipids in serum, aorta and liver and cholesterol in aorta and liver were similar to those in serum cholesterol. Pathological examination of coronary vessels and aorta revealed that the extent of atherosclerosis was significantly less in rabbits given Fe than in those given only cholesterol.-DEML