Correlation of low and high density lipoprotein binding in vivo with rates of lipoprotein degradation in the rat. A comparison of lipoproteins of rat and human origin

These studies were done in the rat to correlate the ability of low and high density lipoproteins of rat (rLDL and rHDL) and human (hLDL and hHDL) origin to bind in vivo to specific tissues with the rates at which these same lipoprotein fractions were cleared from the circulation. The adrenal gland and liver manifested the greatest amounts of rLDL binding in vivo, but activity also was found in spleen, lung, kidney, ovary, and intestine. In contrast, little or no such binding was found utilizing either methyl-rLDL or hLDL. rHDL containing E apoprotein bound to the same group of tissues although in lesser amounts, except in the case of ovary and adrenal gland which bound disproportionately greater amounts of rHDL than rLDL. In keeping with these marked differences in tissue binding, the clearance of rLDL from the plasma equaled 847 ± 36 μl/h/100 g of rat while that of methyl-rLDL and hLDL was only 368 ± 8 and 363 ± 11 μl/h/100 g of rat, respectively. When the steady state plasma level of rLDL was raised 2.5-fold, the clearance decreased slightly to 705 ± 20 μl/h/100 g of rat. The clearance of hLDL remained constant, however, at about 350 μl/h/100 g of rat even when the plasma hLDL level was raised to very high values. The clearance of rHDL and hHDL equaled 644 ± 16 and 408 ± 13 μg/h/100 g of rat, respectively, reflecting the more similar rate of binding of rHDL and hHDL to the tissues of the rat. Rates of whole animal sterol synthesis were lowered from 28 μmol/h to 8.8 μmol/h or 13 μmol/h by fasting and cholesterol feeding, respectively, and stimulated to 71 μmol/h by cholestyramine treatment. Under these same conditions, hepatic cholesterol synthesis could be lowered from the normal rate of 15 μmol/h to 4.2 μmol/h and raised to 50 μmol/h. None of these treatments, however, affected the plasma clearance of rLDL and rHDL. In contrast, treatment with ethinyl estradiol increased by 3-fold both the hepatic binding and the whole animal plasma clearance of rLDL. Following resection of approximately two-thirds of the liver under carefully controlled metabolic conditions, there was no change in the rate of hepatic cholesterol synthesis or rLDL binding in the remaining liver, but the clearance of chylomicrons, rLDL, and rHDL diminished by 67%, 26%, and 17%, respectively, suggesting that in the rat the liver was responsible for the degradation of approximately 97%, 39%, and 27%, respectively, of these lipoprotein fractions.