Lipid content and fatty acid composition of heart and muscle of the BIO 82.62 cardiomyopathic hamster.

Microscopic and analytical studies of the lipids in the heart and muscle of the BIO 82.62 myopathic hamsters and age-matched normal animals at the average ages of 33, 67, and 108 days were performed. Microscopic examinations did not show increased lipid depositions in the hearts of the diseased animals as was found in the BIO 14.6 strain. No consistent differences in the lipid content of the cardiomyopathic hamsters (BIO 82.62) and age-matched controls were observed in the three age groups except in the cholesterol content of muscle. Cholesterol increased significantly (P less than 0.01) in the 67 and 108 day old animals. This increase elevated the cholesterol/phospholipid ratio. Analysis of the fatty acid composition of triglycerides showed that the cardiomyopathic hamsters store more saturated fatty acids in both heart and muscle than do their normal counterparts. The abundance of more saturated fatty acids may imply that either the desaturation mechanism is altered in the diseased animals or that unsaturated fatty acids are preferentially utilized in other processes.