Dietary cholesterol protects against alcohol-induced cerebral artery constriction (AICAC) in absence of a functional endothelium. Diameter traces from isolated, de-endothelialized and in vitro pressurized middle cerebral artery of rat on control (A) vs. high-cholesterol (B) diet. (C) Averaged diameter data from de-endothelialized arteries in response to endothelium-dependent (1 µM carbachol) vs. endothelium-independent (1 µM sodium nitroprusside) vasodilators. Here and in (D), each point represents the average of ≥3 arteries, each artery harvested from a different rat. *p<0.05, when compared to sodium nistroprusside. (D) Averaged data show a protective effect of dietary cholesterol against AICAC in isolated de-endothelialized arteries. *p<0.05, when compared to arteries from rats on control diet.