Cholesterol metabolism in mice models of genetic hypercholesterolemia.
J Physiol Biochem
; 76(3): 437-443, 2020 Aug.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-32557226
ABSTRACT
Monogenic familial hypercholesterolemia is characterized by impaired cellular uptake of apolipoprotein B containing lipoproteins. However, its consequences on whole-body cholesterol metabolism are unclear. We investigated cholesterol metabolism in wild-type mice (control) and in knockout (KO) mice for the low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR-KO) and for apolipoprotein E (apoE-KO) containing the genetic basis of the C57BL/6J mice, under a cholesterol-free diet. Cholesterol and "non-cholesterol" sterols (cholestanol, desmosterol, and lathosterol) were measured in plasma, tissues, as well as in feces as cholesterol and its bacterial modified products (neutral sterols) using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, and bile acids were measured by an enzymatic method. Compared to controls, LDLR-KO mice have elevated plasma and whole-body cholesterol concentrations, but total fecal sterols are not modified, characterizing unaltered body cholesterol synthesis together with impaired body cholesterol excretion. ApoE-KO mice presented the highest concentrations of plasma cholesterol, whole-body cholesterol, cholestanol, total fecal sterols, and cholestanol, compatible with high cholesterol synthesis rate; the latter seems attributed to elevated body desmosterol (Bloch cholesterol synthesis pathway). Nonetheless, whole-body lathosterol (Kandutsch-Russel cholesterol synthesis pathway) decreased in both KO models, likely explaining the diminished fecal bile acids. We have demonstrated for the first time quantitative changes of cholesterol metabolism in experimental mouse models that explain differences between LDLR-KO and apoE-KO mice. These findings contribute to elucidate the metabolism of cholesterol in human hypercholesterolemia of genetic origin.
Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Cholestadienols
/
Cholesterol
/
Lipid Metabolism
/
Hypercholesterolemia
Type of study:
Prognostic_studies
Limits:
Animals
Language:
En
Journal:
J Physiol Biochem
Journal subject:
BIOQUIMICA
/
FISIOLOGIA
Year:
2020
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country: