Absence of a hypocholesterolaemic action of chitosan in high‐serum‐cholesterol rabbits

In rabbits fed a 0.9% cholesterol‐enriched (to 9 g kg −1 ) and 20 g kg −1 chitosan‐supplemented diet, total faecal bile acid and sterol levels increased 1.2‐1.4 times (cholic acid 5.0 times, and cholesterol 1.5 times) those in rabbits fed a cholesterol‐enriched (to 9g kg −1 ) diet. The serum cholesterol and triacylgiycerol levels of high‐serum‐cholesterol rabbits were affected neither by feeding with a 20 g kg −1 chitosan‐supplemented diet nor by intravenous injection with chitosan of low molecular weight (c3000) or chitosan oligosaccharides (300‐1162) daily. These data indicate that chitosan plays a hypocholesterolaemic action only in the intestine.