Production and Excretion of Cholesterol in Mammals

Abstract

Na cholate was admd. by constant intraven. injn. to 8 normal male rats of the Long-Evans strain. After 24 hrs. this resulted in plasma bile acid and cholesterol concns. which were elevated to the same extent to which these values usually rise in non-injd. animals with bile duct obstruction. Cholate given by stomach tube or thrice daily by intraven. injn. at the rate of 200 mg./day induced an extreme hypercholesteremia in 6 bile-duct-obstructed rats to an avg. value more than 3 times that of animals subjected to bile-duct obstruction alone. Lesser doses of cholic acid resulted in proportionately less hypercholesteremia in a total of 40 bile-duct-obstructed rats. Similar admn. of lecithin was without effect. Blood plasma samples obtained from 17 rats before and 24 hrs. after bilateral nephrec-tomy showed that a marked increase in plasma bile acid and cholesterol also occur under these circumstances.