Cholesterol synthesis and metabolism as a function of unpredictable shock stimulation

Rats fed a high lipid diet and also exposed to unavoidable and unpredictable grid shock for 2 and 8 days showed higher levels of accumulated chemical cholesterol in aorta, kidney, liver and serum as compared to control rats fed only the high lipid diet. Thirty days of shock stress produced similar results except that kidney tissue revealed lower and nonsignificant levels of accumulated cholesterol. A differential cholesterol clearing mechanism for the various tissues is postulated to explain the relative vulnerability of aorta, liver and kidney to stress-induced cholesterol deposition.