Failure of carbon monoxide to induce myocardial infarction in cholesterol-fed cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis).

Twenty-six adult female cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) were randomly assigned to four groups which were fed on a standard laboratory diet or a semipurified diet containing cholesterol. In two of the groups, the monkeys were exposed intermittently to CO throughout the day for 14 months; the control animals breathed room air. No myocardial infarctions were observed, and the ECG showed a transitory injury current in only one animal. No differences in plasma cholesterol levels or in aortic and coronary atherosclerosis could be attributed to CO exposure.