Increase In Cholesteryl Ester Content Research Articles

Effects of Recombinant Human Lecithin Cholesterol Acyltransferase on Lipoprotein Metabolism in Humans.

LCAT (lecithin cholesterol acyl transferase) catalyzes the conversion of unesterified, or free cholesterol, to cholesteryl ester, which moves from the surface of HDL (high-density lipoprotein) into the neutral lipid core. As this iterative process continues, nascent lipid-poor HDL is converted to a series of larger, spherical cholesteryl ester-enriched HDL particles that can be cleared by the liver in a process that has been termed reverse cholesterol transport. We conducted a randomized, placebocontrolled, crossover study in 5 volunteers with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, to examine the effects of an acute increase of recombinant human (rh) LCAT via intravenous administration (300-mg loading dose followed by 150 mg at 48 hours) on the in vivo metabolism of HDL APO (apolipoprotein)A1 and APOA2, and the APOB100-lipoproteins, very low density, intermediate density, and low-density lipoproteins. As expected, recombinant human LCAT treatment significantly increased HDL-cholesterol (34.9 mg/dL; P≤0.001), and this was mostly due to the increase in cholesteryl ester content (33.0 mg/dL; P=0.014). This change did not affect the fractional clearance or production rates of HDL-APOA1 and HDL-APOA2. There were also no significant changes in the metabolism of APOB100-lipoproteins. Our results suggest that an acute increase in LCAT activity drives greater flux of cholesteryl ester through the reverse cholesterol transport pathway without significantly altering the clearance and production of the main HDL proteins and without affecting the metabolism of APOB100-lipoproteins. Long-term elevations of LCAT might, therefore, have beneficial effects on total body cholesterol balance and atherogenesis.

Hormone-sensitive lipase is involved in hepatic cholesteryl ester hydrolysis

Hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) regulates the hydrolysis of acylglycerol and cholesteryl ester (CE) in various organs, including adipose tissues. However, the hepatic expression level of HSL has been reported to be almost negligible. In the present study, we found that mice lacking both leptin and HSL (Lep(ob/ob)/HSL(-/-)) showed massive accumulation of CE in the liver compared with Lep(ob/ob)/HSL(+/+) mice, while triacylglycerol (TG) accumulation was modest. Similarly, feeding with a high-cholesterol diet induced hepatic CE accumulation in HSL(-/-) mice. Supporting these observations, we detected significant expression of protein as well as mRNA of HSL in the liver. HSL(-/-) mice showed reduced activity of CE hydrolase, but not of TG lipase, in the liver compared with wild-type mice. Furthermore, we confirmed the expression of HSL in viable parenchymal cells isolated from wild-type mice. The hepatocytes from HSL(-/-) mice showed reduced activity of CE hydrolase and contained more CE than those from HSL(+/+) mice even without the incubation with lipoproteins. Incubation with LDL further augmented the accumulation of CE in the HSL-deficient hepatocytes. From these results, we conclude that HSL is involved in the hydrolysis of CE in hepatocyes.

Separation and Determination of Fatty Acids from Lipid Fractions by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography: Cholesterol Esters of Umbilical Cord Arteries

ABSTRACTPreeclampsia is accompanied by an extensive remodeling of the extracellular matrix of umbilical cord. It is associated with an increase in collagen content in the umbilical cord artery. Furthermore, preeclampsia distinctly reduces proteolytic and gelatinolytic activity, especially after activation with various agents.We decided to develop a method for separation and determination of fatty acids from different tissues by high-performance liquid chromatography. That method allowed us to determine cholesteryl ester composition and content in umbilical cord arteries. Studies were performed on the umbilical cord arteries taken from 10 newborns delivered by healthy mothers and 10 newborns delivered by mothers with preeclampsia. Cholesteryl esters were isolated by thin layer chromatography. Fatty acids were liberated by basic hydrolysis and analyzed by HPLC of their p-bromophenacyl derivatives using detection at 254 nm. It was found that saturated fatty acids were the main group of fatty acids incorporated to cholesteryl esters in all control and preeclamptic umbilical cord arteries. Preeclampsia caused a significant increase in cholesteryl ester content in the umbilical cord arteries. An increase of neutral lipid content in vessel walls of newborns delivered by mothers with preeclampsia may be one of the factors that evoke the initiation of hypertension in utero and its amplification throughout childhood and adult life. The described method reduces time and cost consumption and allows us to determine almost all fatty acids forming cholesteryl esters contained in the tissue sample.

Lipid metabolism and molecular changes in normal and atherosclerotic vessels.

a positive correlation between cholesterol esterification, acyl-CoA:cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT), multidrug resistance (MDR1) gene expression and atherosclerotic lesions has been shown in human arteries. The objective of this study was to map the expression of MDR1, ACAT genes and the cholesteryl ester content in normal, atherosclerotic and varicose human vessels. vascular segments were obtained from seven cadaveric donors, 27 patients undergoing vascular surgery for severe atherosclerotic disease and 11 patients with saphenous vein varicosities. lipid analysis and RT-PCR of MDR1 and ACAT mRNAs were performed. an increase in cholesteryl ester content and in ACAT and MDR1 expression was demonstrated in relation to the age in the arteries prone to atherosclerosis; this expression was maximal in arteries from symptomatic patients. In resistant arteries and in veins cholesteryl ester accumulation was rare and light, while ACAT and MDR1 expression was not related to the age of the subjects. the results showed that an increase in MDR1 and ACAT expression may be responsible for the accumulation of cholesteryl esters as well as for cell growth rate acceleration in vessel sites prone to atherosclerosis.

Activation of monocytes in vivo causes intracellular accumulation of lipoprotein-derived lipids and marked hypocholesterolemia—a possible pathogenesis of necrobiotic xanthogranuloma

Necrobiotic xanthogranuloma (NXG) is a rare histiocytic disease with generalized xanthomatosis. However, most cases with NXG are normolipidemic or hypolipidemic. The mechanism for the formation of xanthoma in NXG has not yet been clarified. We observed a case of NXG with severe hypocholesterolemia (total cholesterol: 1.69 mmol/l) and analyzed the function of monocytes in this case. Histological examinations by light microscopy revealed a large amount of lipid deposition in the patient’s freshly isolated monocytes. The patient’s monocytes showed a 3-fold increase in cholesteryl ester content and a 3-fold enhancement of acetyl low density lipoprotein (LDL) uptake compared with the control monocytes. However, no significant difference was noted in the expression of CD36 protein and the mRNA levels of scavenger receptor-class A (SR-A) between the monocytes of the patient and the control. The phagocytotic ability of the patient’s monocytes was enhanced 1.5-fold compared with that of the control monocytes. These findings suggest that the activated monocytes may have degraded the modified LDL via a pathway other than CD36 or SR-A, and accumulated a great amount of lipids in vivo. In conclusion, the present study has demonstrated a possible pathogenesis of NXG that the activation of monocytes in vivo may contribute to the intracellular accumulation of lipoprotein-derived lipids leading to non-inherited xanthomatosis and the marked hypocholesterolemia.

13C NMR investigation of cholesterol esterification rate in human whole blood

We have previously used NMR spectroscopy to measure the acyl transfer from phospholipid to cholesterol in human plasma. In the present study we investigated the processes of transfer of cholesterol and exchange of cholesteryl ester between lipoproteins during incubation of human whole blood. The rate of cholesteryl ester increase was much greater during whole blood incubation (86–118, mean = 90 μmol l −1 h −1) compared to plasma incubation (53–93, mean = 57 μmol l −1 h −1). The rate of decrease in unesterified cholesterol was identical to cholesterol ester increase during plasma incubation, but was slower during whole blood incubation, consistent with replenishment by transfer of additional unesterified cholesterol substrate from erythrocyte membranes. The analysis of lipoprotein fractions revealed an increase in cholesteryl ester content of d < 1.063 lipoproteins; the rate of increase was 47–67 with a mean of 58 μmol l −1 h −1. Although this result is comparable with that obtained by other methods, it represents the product of both CETP and β-LCAT activity. These NMR techniques provide simple and direct assessment of aspects of reverse cholesterol transport and warrant further investigation.

Lipoprotein changes and increased affinity of LDL for their receptors after acipimox treatment in hypertriglyceridemia

Modifications in plasma low and high density lipoprotein (LDL and HDL) subfraction distribution, as well as the regulation of cellular LDL metabolism by hypertriglyceridemic LDL were tested before and after treatment with acipimox, a nicotinic acid derivative, in 11 type IV hyperlipidemic patients. Large, less dense LDL particles were found in plasma after acipimox treatment, reflecting compositional changes, characterized by a 25.4% increase in cholesteryl ester content and by a 46.2% reduction of triglycerides in LDL. HDL subfractions were only slightly modified, with an increase of dense, cholesteryl ester-enriched and triglyceride poor HDL 3 particles. The LDL (B,E) receptor activity in humans skin fibroblasts of LDL isolated before and after treatment was also evaluated. Hypertriglyceridemic LDL proved rather inefficient in regulating receptor activity with a close to 30% reduction vs. normal LDL in the capacity to inhibit receptor-mediated uptake and degradation of 125I-LDL. Such abnormality was fully corrected after acipimox. The reported findings indicate that acipimox treatment in type IV patients, in spite of a relatively modest plasma triglyceride reduction, can markedly modify LDL distribution and composition, normalizing the defective interaction of hypertriglyceridemic LDL with the LDL (B,E) receptor.

Inappropriate hepatic cholesterol synthesis expands the cellular pool of sterol available for recruitment by bile acids in the rat.

These studies test the hypothesis that a major determinant of excessive biliary cholesterol secretion is a level of hepatic sterol synthesis that is inappropriately high relative to the needs of the liver cell for preserving cholesterol balance. Biliary cholesterol secretion was measured in vivo in two models after loading the hepatocyte with sterol by two different mechanisms. In the first model, cholesterol was delivered physiologically to the liver in chylomicron remnants. This resulted in a sixfold increase in cholesteryl ester content and marked suppression of cholesterol synthesis, but biliary cholesterol secretion remained essentially constant. In the second model, 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl CoA reductase levels in the liver were markedly increased by chronic mevinolin (lovastatin) administration. Withdrawal of the inhibitor resulted in a sudden fivefold increase in the rate of sterol synthesis in the liver of the experimental animals that was inappropriately high for cellular needs. This excessive synthesis, in turn, was accompanied by a fivefold increase in the cholesteryl ester content, enrichment of microsomal membranes with cholesterol and, most importantly, by a threefold increase in the rate of biliary sterol secretion. As the rate of sterol synthesis gradually returned to normal over 48 h, the cholesterol ester content, the lipid composition of the microsomal membranes, and rate of cholesterol secretion into bile also returned to baseline values. These results further support the concept of functional compartmentalization of cholesterol in the hepatocyte. Derangements that cause an inappropriately high rate of sterol synthesis in the endoplasmic reticulum may lead to an expansion of that pool of cholesterol that is recruitable by bile acids and, hence, to greater situation of the bile.

Effects of feeding fish oil on the properties of lipoproteins isolated from rhesus monkeys consuming an atherogenic diet

This study examined plasma lipids and lipoproteins of rhesus monkeys fed fish oil incorporated into a highly atherogenic diet containing saturated fat and cholesterol. The animals were fed diets containing 2% cholesterol and either 25% coconut oil (group 1), 25% fish oil/coconut oil (1: 1; group 11), or 25% fish oil/coconut oil (3: 1; group III) for 12 months (n = 8/group). Adding menhaden fish oil to the diet increased plasma eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid and decreased plasma linoleic acid in animals fed the fish oil containing diets. Plasma concentrations of all lipoprotein fractions were decreased in the fish oil groups. VLDL isolated from group I animals exhibited beta-mobility on agarose gels but the VLDL from groups II and III animals did not. The group I VLDL was more highly enriched in cholesteryl ester than was VLDL from groups II and III. Group I LDL had a small but significant increase in cholesteryl ester content compared to group III LDL. No differences in HDL composition were observed in the 3 groups. At least 6 times less apo E was recovered in VLDL, IDL, and LDL from group III animals than from group I animals. Assuming 1 molecule of apo B per lipoprotein particle, there were 50% fewer VLDL, IDL, and LDL particles in group III than in group I animals. Group III also had significantly lower molar ratios of apo E/apo B in VLDL, IDL, and LDL than did group I animals. When VLDL from all 3 groups were incubated with J774 macrophages at equal protein concentrations, only the VLDL from the group I animals stimulated cholesterol esterification. Thus, introducing fish oil into an atherogenic diet reduced the number of VLDL, IDL and LDL particles in plasma by as much as 50%, reduced the cholesteryl ester content of the circulating lipoprotein, and reduced the ability of the VLDL to stimulate cholesterol esterification in macrophages.

Enzymatically induced alterations in the structure of rat serum lipoproteins

Incubation of freshly isolated rat serum induces a large number of changes in the properties of the serum lipoproteins, especially the high density lipoproteins (HDL). The particle diameter of the HDL increases from about 10.4 nm to 12.3 nm and the protein content appears to increase by about 60,000 Daltons. Reactions catalyzed by lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) lead to a marked decrease in cholesterol and phospholipid content, and an even greater increase in cholesteryl ester content. Especially noteworthy are the marked increases in apoE and apoA-IV which are found associated with HDL as a result of this process. Data indicate that the affinity of apoE and apoA-IV for the HDL particles may be influenced by the proportion of surface to core lipid and by the presence of products of the LCAT reaction. Changes in the apoprotein content of very low density lipoproteins are also observed, with A-I and A-IV appearing in this density interval. All of the above changes can be prevented by the inclusion of 5,5'dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoate) or p-chloromercuriphenylsulfonate during the incubation, or by heat treatment of serum at 56 degrees C for 30 min; these treatments are known to inhibit LCAT activity. It is concluded that LCAT action is the major cause of the various changes in HDL structure that are observed and that alterations in apoprotein content occur to correct the resultant imbalance between core lipid and coverage of this core by amphiphilic components. Increased apoE association with cholesteryl ester-rich HDL may provide an efficient means for receptor-mediated removal of cholesterol from the circulation.

Accumulation of cholesteryl esters and triglycerides in cultured macrophages incubated with plasma very low density lipoproteins from rats fed on casein or soybean protein diets containing moderate levels of cholesterol

Even when administered at a comparatively low level, dietary cholesterol produces significant changes in the properties of plasma lipoproteins in rats, particularly the d < 1.006 g/ml fraction (VLDL). The occurrence of these changes is promoted by dietary casein. To test the hypothesis that these dietary-induced perturbations might include properties influencing lipoprotein-cell interactions of relevance to atherogenesis, cultured mouse peritoneal macrophages were incubated with VLDL isolated from male rats fed on diets containing either 0, 0.25 or 0.5% cholesterol with casein or soybean protein, respectively, as the sole source of protein. No increase in cholesteryl ester content, and a comparatively small rise in triglyceride content, was observed in macrophages incubated with VLDL from rats fed on cholesterol-free diets. In contrast, a significant and apparently saturable cellular accumulation of cholesteryl esters as well as triglycerides was produced by VLDL from cholesterol-fed rats. The curves showing cellular lipid accumulation versus VLDL-protein (or VLDL-cholesterol) content in the cell medium indicated different cellular affinity for VLDL from casein-fed rats in comparison with VLDL from soybean protein-fed rats. The apoprotein composition of VLDL differed between groups of rats fed on different types of dietary protein with higher proportions of apo C's in the casein-fed rats. In addition, cholesterol feeding resulted in increased proportions of apo A-I and apo A-IV in the plasma VLDL fraction.

Absence of effect of prostaglandins on cholesteryl ester metabolism of 3T3 mouse fibroblasts grown in tissue culture

This study examines the effect of prostaglandin E 2 and 6-keto F 1α on the cholesteryl ester metabolism of cells grown in tissue culture. When 3T3 mouse fibroblasts were incubated with cationized low density lipoprotein (LDL) and 3H-labelled oleic and 14C-labelled linoleic acids a marked increase in cholesteryl ester content of cells was observed. Oleic acid was the preferred substrate for cholesterol esterification. However, the presence of prostaglandin E 2 or 6-keto F α (up to 10 μg/ml) did not affect the cholesteryl ester content or the uptake of labelled fatty acids into cellular lipids. Following preincubation with cationized LDL and labelled fatty acids the cells were reincubated in normal medium with or without prostaglandins. The presence of PGE 2 or 6KPGF 1α (up to 10 μg/ml) did not appreciably change the rate of removal of cholesteryl ester or labelled lipids. This indicates that these prostaglandins even when present in relatively large doses in the incubation medium do not affect lipid metabolism of cells grown in tissue culture.

Malondialdehyde alteration of low density lipoproteins leads to cholesteryl ester accumulation in human monocyte-macrophages.

Glutaraldehyde treatment of (125)I-labeled low density lipoprotein ((125)I-native-LDL) produced a modified LDL ((125)I-glut-LDL) with a molecular weight of 10 x 10(6) or more. Malondialdehyde treatment of (125)I-native-LDL produced a product ((125)I-MDA-LDL) with a molecular weight not appreciably different from that of the original lipoprotein. However, the electrophoretic mobility of MDA-LDL indicated a more negative charge than native-LDL. (125)I-MDA-LDL was degraded by two processes: a high-affinity saturable process with maximal velocity at 10-15 mug of protein per ml and a slower, nonsaturable process. The degradation of (125)I-MDA-LDL was readily inhibited by increasing concentrations of nonradioactive MDA-LDL but was not inhibited by acetylated LDL or native-LDL even at concentrations as high as 1600 mug of protein per ml. After exposure of native-LDL to blood platelet aggregation and release in vitro, 1.73 +/- 0.19 nmol of malondialdehyde per mg of LDL protein was bound to the platelet-modified-LDL. No detectable malondialdehyde was recovered from native-LDL that had been treated identically except that the platelets were omitted from the reaction mixture. After incubation with glut-LDL, MDA-LDL, or platelet-modified-LDL for 3 days, human monocyte-macrophages showed a dramatic increase in cholesteryl ester content whereas the cholesteryl ester content of cells incubated with the same concentration of native-LDL did not. Based on these experiments we propose that modification of native-LDL may be a prerequisite to the accumulation of cholesteryl esters within the cells of the atherosclerotic reaction. We further hypothesize that one modification of LDL in vivo may result from malondialdehyde which is released from blood platelets or is produced by lipid peroxidation at the site of arterial injury.

Cholesterol esterification and cholesteryl ester accumulation in cultured pigeon and monkey arterial smooth muscle cells

Aortic smooth muscle cells from atherosclerosis-susceptible White Carneau and resistant Show Racer pigeons were grown in culture utilizing conditions identical to those developed for the culture of rhesus monkey arterial smooth muscle cells and skin fibroblasts. Pigeon smooth muscle cells had ultrastructural and growth characteriscis similar to mammalian smooth muscle cells in culture including growth in multiple overlapping layers, numerous pinocytic vesicles, and abundant myofilaments. Cells were incubated for 24 to 72 hr with culture medium containing either lipoprotein deficient serum, fetal calf serum, normocholesterolemic pigeon serum or hypercholesterolemic pigeon serum, and differences in cholesterol content and in the rate of cholesterol esterification were studied. Although there was substantial variability in the absolute cholesterol content among different cell lines, cells of the same type behaved similarly in their response to the various test sera. Generally, the higher the cholesterol content of the culture medium the greater the cholesterol content of the cells. There were, however, considerable differences in the magnitude and pattern of response among the different cell types. Incubation with 10% hypercholesterolemic serum resulted in an increase of similar magnitude in the free cholesterol content of all cell lines. This was not true, however, for the accumulation of cholesteryl esters. Incubation with 10% hypercholesterolemic serum produced a marked increase in the cholesteryl ester content of monkey skin fibroblasts and smooth muscle cells while producing only a slight increase in the cholesteryl ester content of pigeon smooth muscle cells unless very high concentrations of hypercholesterolemic serum were used. Monkey skin fibroblasts were the most responsive to cholesteryl ester accumulation with a greater than 28-fold increase in cholesteryl ester content occurring when incubated with hypercholesterolemic serum. Incubation for 24 hr with hypercholesterolemic serum stimulated cholesterol esterification 4 to 8-fold in monkey cells in a manner that paralleled the time course of accumulation of cholesteryl esters, while no stimulation in cholesterol esterification occurred in pigeon cells, consistent with their lack of ability to accumulate large amounts of cholesteryl esters. No differences in the response to either normal or hypercholesterolemic serum were seen between smooth muscle cells from atherosclerosis-susceptible White Carneau and resistant Show Racer pigeons. There were, however, major differences between pigeon and monkey cells. Although results indicate that the mechanism of accumulation of cholesteryl esters by pigeon smooth muscle cells may be different than for mammalian cells, no differences were seen in any of the parameters measured that might help to explain the difference in susceptibility to atherosclerosis of the two breeds of pigeons.

Characterization of plasma low density lipoproteins on nonhuman primates fed dietary cholesterol

LDL from animals of three nonhuman primate species, Macaca mulatta, Macaca fascicularis, and Cercopithecus aethiops, were studied. A standard preparation of 125I-LDL was added to isolated lipoprotein mixtures just prior to separation of plasma lipoproteins by agarose gel chromatography. A relative size index, rI, was determined by dividing the elution volume of the iodinated LDL by the elution volume of the sample LDL, both volumes being determined simultaneously during chromatographic elution. Comparison of rI with molecular weights measured by flotation equilibrium analysis in the analytical ultracentrifuge showed a linear relationship across a molecular weight range of 2.5-8.0 X 10(6), r = 0.985. A regression equation describing this relationship was used to calculate molecular weights of LDL from a group of M. fascicularis that were fed cholesterol-containing diets. In these animals, plasma cholesterol concentration ranged from 100 to over 700 mg/dl and was highly correlated with LDL molecular weight and with the micromolar concentration of the LDL. Using multiple regression analyses, the two variables of plasma LDL could be shown to account for 94% of the variation in plasma cholesterol concentration in the M. fascicularis of this study. Micromolar concentration and molecular weight of LDL were not correlated with each other, suggesting that in M. fascicularis at least two independent types of controls are operative in the response of plasma LDL to dietary cholesterol. The increase in LDL molecular weight was associated with a large increase in cholesteryl ester content and concomitant smaller increases in protein, phospholipid, and free cholesterol. As molecular weight increased, these components appeared to be added to the LDL particles together as discrete increments of fixed composition. The data are consistent with a spherical model of LDL structure with a core of cholesteryl ester and triglyceride and a 21.3 A-thick coat of phospholipid, free cholesterol, and protein.

Early changes in plasma lipoprotein structure and biosynthesis in cholesterol-fed rabbits

Plasma lipoproteins of d < 1.063 g/ml from rabbits fed a diet containing 1% cholesterol for 4 days showed changes in concentration and rates of flotation as determined by analytical ultracentrifugation. A marked increase in cholesteryl ester content of lipoprotein with d < 1.019 g/ml was the most prominent change in rabbits fed the diet for 21 days. Gel electrophoresis and immunochemical procedures demonstrated that in control and hypercholesterolemic rabbits there were some common apolipoproteins found in all lipoproteins with density < 1.063 g/ml. In control rabbits, there were also apolipoproteins specific to the lipoprotein fraction with d < 1.019 and to the fraction with d 1.019-1.063 g/ml. However, in rabbits fed the hypercholesterolemic diet for 21 days, the apolipoproteins characteristic of fraction 1.019-1.063 were the most abundant in the fraction with d < 1.019 g/ml. Liver slices from rabbits fed the high cholesterol diet for 7 and 21 days incorporated more l-[(14)C]leucine into very low density and low density lipoproteins than controls. The results suggest that cholesterol feeding leads to an increase in biosynthesis of lipoproteins with d < 1.063 g/ml. The newly synthesized lipoprotein contains apolipoproteins similar to those found in controls but with a higher lipid-to-protein ratio. From the apoprotein composition, it is concluded that the very low density fraction present in cholesterol-fed animals is more structurally related to low density lipoproteins than to the very low density lipoproteins isolated from control animals.