Metabolism and Excretion as Factors Influencing Serum Cholesterol Level in Two Lines of Chickens.

Abstract

Summary Two lines of White Leghorn chickens differing in serum cholesterol level were studied. The line difference in cholesterol was unchanged in serum from post-hepatic blood as compared to pre-hepatic blood. No line differences were observed in rate of in vitro cholesterogenesis from acetate-1-C¹⁴ incubated with blood or liver slices. Following administration of cholesterol-4-C¹⁴, differences were not detectable between lines in labeled nonsaponifiable substances in liver, gut, skin, adrenal, or carcass, or in the labeled saponifiable fraction of liver or feces. Fecal excretion of labeled nonsaponifiable substances, however, was significantly higher in the low line, suggesting genetic regulation of cholesterol homeostasis through excretory-pathways. Grateful acknowledgement is made to Dr. Sitarama Lakshmanan for consultation on radioisotope techniques and for the use of his laboratory.