Cholesterol in Intestinal and Hepatic Lymph in the Rat

Abstract

Intestinal lymph contains more free cholesterol than does plasma of fasting rats. After a diet containing fat the amt. of both the free and esterified cholesterol in the intestinal lymph is increased. The addition of cholesterol to the diet produces a marked increase in the amt. of cholesterol contained in the intestinal lymph which is independent of the presence of fat in the diet. Most of the increased content of cholesterol in the lymph after feeding free cholesterol is esterified cholesterol. In the expts. 10- 50% of the cholesterol fed was recovered within 24 hrs. in the intestinal lymph. The cholesterol not recovered in the lymph may not have been absorbed or it may have been destroyed in the intestine. The amt. of cholesterol in intestinal lymph does not reflect the amt. in the intestinal mucosa; neither does hepatic lymph indicate the amt. of cholesterol in the liver. The amt. of free and total cholesterol of hepatic lymph is similar to that of plasma and is not appreciably changed by feeding cholesterol. These expts. do hot elucidate the role of the liver in the regulation of the free and esterified cholesterol of the blood, but they do indicate that large amts. of cholesterol may be esterified by the intestinal mucosa.