In vivo and in vitro studies of hypocholesterolemic effects of diosgenin in rats

There is evidence that diosgenin when given orally or parenterally decreases cholesterol plasma levels in rat, chicken and rabbits that have had a diet-induced hypercholesterolemia. 2. The per-oral administration of [3H]diosgenin yielded 12% of the given dose distributed throughout: liver, spleen, epididymal fat, brain and carcass of the rat. 3. In everted gut sacs, [3H]diosgenin was better absorbed than cholesterol. 4. In these tests diosgenin was recovered esterified from the tissues and the recovered cholesterol showed less esterification in the presence of diosgenin than in its absence.