Weanling NIN Wistar rats (21±23 days) were divided into two groups of 24 animals each (12 males and 12
females) and fed a diet containing 10% Perilla seed oil (PSO) or groundnut oil (GNO). The basal diet contained 73.3% corn starch. 20% casein, 1% vitamin mixture, 4% salt mixture, 0.2% choline chloride and 1.5% cellulose. PSO or GNO was added to the basal diet at the expense of starch. Fatty acid profiles of oils used in the preparation of diets are given in Table 1. The diets were prepared weekly, flushed with nitrogen, sealed and stored at -20C to prevent peroxidative damage of the Perilla oil diet. Daily food and water were supplied to the animals ad-lib for 18 weeks. Weekly food intake and body weight gain of individual animals were recorded. Towards the end of 18 weeks, animals were transferred to metabolic cages and faeces were collected for 3 days. Diet and faeces were analysed for nitrogen, calcium and phosphorus (Association of the Ocial Analytical Chemists [AOAC] 1990). Appar- ent retentions of these nutrients were calculated from the dietary intake and faecal excretion. At the end of 18 weeks, final body weights of individual animal were recorded and blood was drawn from each animal for the estimation of serum cholesterol (Abel & Brodie, 1952)
and triglyceride (Foster & Dunn, 1973). After sacrifices, the liver, heart, lungs, kidneys and spleen were carefully
dissected and immediately weighed. The weights of these organs were expressed per 100 g of final body weight.
Samples of liver as well as heart were taken for analysis of cholesterol and triglyceride.