Lack of nicotinic acid effect on cholesterol metabolism of the rat

The effect of the addition of 1 per cent nicotinic acid to the diet of the rat on serum, liver, and carcass cholesterol, and on the incorporation of acetate-1-C14 into cholesterol by the intact animal were studied. The effect of nicotinic acid on absorption of cholesterol-4-C14 and on the elimination of labeled cholesterol from serum and liver were also studied. No significant effect of nicotinic acid, fed for either 8 or 42 days, on the incorporation of acetate-l-C14 into serum and liver cholesterol was observed. When weight gain of the control animals was limited to that of the nicotinic-acid-fed rats by pair-feeding, nicotinic acid had no significant effect on serum or liver cholesterol concentrations, nor on total carcass cholesterol. Absorption of cholesterol-4-C14 and the disappearance of labeled cholesterol from serum and liver were not influenced by nicotinic acid administration by stomach tube.