To induce hypercholesterolemia, after acclimatization for
7 to 10 days, normal rats were switched to a modified AIN-
76 diet consisting of 55.5% carbohydrates, 14.0% fats (30%
of total energy), 20.0% protein, 5.0% fiber, and 0.5%
cholesterol by weight, as previously described [20]. Normal
rats were fed the same diet without cholesterol, as shown in
Table 1. The rats were maintained on their respective diets
for 6 weeks to induce hypercholesterolemia and then for the
whole experimental period.