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Biomedical subjects

K R Feingold

Publications and source records attributed to K R Feingold.

At least 271 records · Page 15Linked to original sources

The role of circulating mevalonate in nephrotic hypercholesterolemia in the rat.

The cause of the hypercholesterolemia that characterizes the nephrotic syndrome has never been adequately explained. The present study examines the possibility that enhanced availability of the cholesterol precursor, mevalonic acid, to the liver in the nephrotic state may result in increased hepatic cholesterogenesis. In normal animals, the kidneys are known to be the major site of the metabolism of circulating mevalonate to both cholesterol and CO2. Previous studies, using perfusion of isolated, intact kidneys, have shown that the excretion and metabolism of mevalonate are both impaired in nephrosis. The present investigation has demonstrated in vivo that puromycin aminonucleoside nephrosis results in a 25% reduction in the oxidation of mevalonate to CO2. In the same nephrotic animals, cholesterogenesis from circulating mevalonate was significantly increased in both liver and carcass. In addition, liver slices from nephrotic animals incorporated increased amounts of [5-14C]mevalonate into cholesterol when calculated per whole liver, but not per gram of liver. Oxidation of mevalonic acid by kidney slices was significantly reduced, whether expressed as per gram of tissue or per whole organ. HMG-CoA (3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl) reductase activity in liver of nephrotic animals was significantly increased. We conclude that, in the nephrotic state, impaired mevalonate metabolism by the kidney may contribute to enhanced cholesterogenesis by increasing delivery of mevalonate to liver and carcass; in addition, nephrosis appears to provide an undefined stimulus for HMG-CoA reductase activity in the liver, thereby providing an additional enhancement of hepatic cholesterogenesis.

Animals↗

The effect of diabetes mellitus on the lymphatic transport of intestinal sterols.

Previous studies have demonstrated that in intact animals, de novo cholesterol synthesis is increased in the small and large intestines of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. The aim of this study was to determine if this enhanced intestinal cholesterol synthesis in diabetic animals results in the increased transport of newly synthesized sterols from the intestines to the peripheral circulation. Thoracic ducts were cannulated in control and diabetic animals and the quantity of newly labeled sterols in the lymph determined after the administration of tritiated water. Labeled sterols in the 24-hour lymph drainage were increased fourfold in the diabetic animals as compared to control animals. Additionally, the percentage of newly synthesized sterols synthesized in the small intestine and transported by the lymph is almost twofold greater in the diabetics. Thus, the increased quantity of labeled sterols present in the thoracic duct lymph of diabetic animals is accounted for by two factors, an enhancement of small intestinal sterol synthesis in diabetic animals and the increased percentage transport of newly synthesized sterols from the small intestine to the bloodstream. In both control and diabetic animals, chylomicrons were the major lipoprotein fraction in which the newly synthesized sterols were transported in the lymph. These findings demonstrate that the increased sterologenesis observed in the intestine of diabetic animals results in the increased transport of newly synthesized cholesterol from the intestines to the circulation.

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Effect of lactation on cholesterol synthesis in rats.

Lactation induces a variety of morphological and functional changes in the gastrointestinal tract. In the present study we employed tritiated water as the substrate to demonstrate that in the intact rat lactation results in a twofold increase in cholesterol synthesis in the small intestine. Feeding a high-cholesterol diet did not markedly inhibit small intestinal cholesterol synthesis in either control or lactating animals, and the difference in cholesterol synthesis between the two groups persisted. In the large intestine, cholesterol synthesis is increased threefold in the lactating animals, and feeding a high-cholesterol diet did not affect synthesis in either the control or lactating animals. In the liver, lactation stimulated cholesterol synthesis, and quantitatively this increase in hepatic cholesterol synthesis is much greater than the increase observed in the intestines. Feeding the rats a high-cholesterol diet markedly inhibited hepatic cholesterol synthesis in both control and lactating animals, a finding that demonstrates that the feedback inhibition of cholesterol synthesis in the liver is not impaired by lactation. In the lactating animals, the quantity of labeled cholesterol in 1 ml of serum is 2.4 times greater than observed in controls. Feeding the rats a high-cholesterol diet markedly decreased the quantity of labeled cholesterol in the serum in both groups and obliterated the difference between control and lactating animals. This suggests that the increased hepatic cholesterol synthesis in the lactating animals is responsible for the differences in labeled cholesterol in the serum. Cholesterol feeding also reduced the quantity of labeled cholesterol localized to the mammary glands in lactating animals.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

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Effect of glucose or fructose feeding on cholesterol synthesis in diabetic animals.

Previous studies have demonstrated that cholesterol synthesis is increased twofold in the small intestines of rats with streptozotocin-induced diabetes. The purpose of the present study was to determine the effect of adding glucose or fructose to standard rat chow on cholesterol synthesis in control and diabetic rats. In control rats a 25% glucose or fructose diet fed for 21 days markedly inhibited hepatic cholesterol synthesis in the liver. In contrast, in diabetic animals only fructose inhibited hepatic cholesterol synthesis. In both control and diabetic animals the addition of these simple sugars to the diet did not markedly alter extrahepatic cholesterol synthesis. The enhancement of small intestinal cholesterol synthesis observed in diabetic animals was present regardless of the dietary manipulations. Further studies demonstrated that the addition of smaller concentrations of fructose (10%) to standard rat chow decreased hepatic cholesterol synthesis in both control and diabetic rats. Similarly the addition of fructose to the diet of control and diabetics for a period as short as 2 days was also sufficient to inhibit hepatic cholesterol synthesis. In both control and diabetic animals, fructose feeding decreased hepatic 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase activity but did not alter the percentage of HMG-CoA reductase in the active form. Finally, the intestinal hypertrophy and stimulation of intestinal cholesterogenesis that are characteristic of streptozotocin-induced diabetes occurred when either glucose or fructose was the sole caloric source.

Animal Feed↗

De novo sterologenesis in the skin. II. Regulation by cutaneous barrier requirements.

Recent studies suggest: that the epidermis and pilosebaceous epithelium are important sites of de novo sterol synthesis, and that the rate of cutaneous cholesterol synthesis does not change with alterations in circulating sterol levels. Since cutaneous sterols may be important for permeability barrier function, we studied the effect of experimentally altered barrier function on de novo sterologenesis in the epidermal and dermal layers of the skin. Epidermal sterologenesis appeared to be modulated by the skin's barrier requirements because topical detergent and acetone treatment stimulated de novo synthesis of nonsaponifiable lipids in the epidermis, but not in the dermis. Synthetic activity paralleled both the return of barrier function toward normal and the extent of prior damage to the barrier. Moreover, plastic-wrap occlusion of solvent-treated sites simultaneously corrected both the barrier abnormality and normalized sterol synthesis, further linking increased epidermal sterologenesis to barrier requirements. Whereas topical applications of a variety of other topical lipids did not down-regulate synthesis, epicutaneously applied 25-hydroxycholesterol appeared to diminish synthesis. These results suggest that maintenance of barrier function is one purpose of epidermal de novo nonsaponifiable lipid synthesis, and demonstrate further that, despite a lack of low density lipoprotein receptors, epidermis can regulate its lipid-synthetic apparatus in response to certain specific requirements.

Acetone↗

De novo cholesterol synthesis in three different animal models of diabetes.

Recent studies have demonstrated that cholesterol synthesis is increased two- to threefold in the intestines of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Cholesterol synthesis in tissues other than the intestines, including the liver, was not significantly altered by diabetes. In diabetic Chinese hamsters, cholesterol synthesis was increased 2.5-fold in both the small and large intestine. These observations are similar to our findings in diabetic rats and suggest that a stimulation of intestinal cholesterogenesis may be a uniform phenomenon in insulinopenic diabetes. In db/db mice, cholesterol synthesis was increased in both the liver and intestines but quantitatively the increase in hepatic cholesterogenesis was of much greater magnitude. Cholesterol feeding, which markedly inhibited hepatic cholesterol synthesis in both control and db/db mice, did not obliterate this difference in hepatic cholesterol synthesis. In ob/ob mice, the severity of the metabolic disturbances was less than that observed in db/db mice and no abnormalities in cholesterol synthesis were observed in animals ingesting a low cholesterol diet. However, in ob/ob mice fed a high cholesterol diet, hepatic cholesterol synthesis was increased. These observations suggest that in obese insulin resistant diabetic animals of milder severity, the abnormality in hepatic cholesterol synthesis manifests itself only when the animals are ingesting a high cholesterol diet. The results of this and previous studies suggest that in insulinopenic diabetes there is a stimulation of cholesterol synthesis that is localized to the intestines, whereas in obese, insulin-resistant diabetic animals, cholesterol synthesis is altered in the liver.

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Localization of cholesterol synthesis in the small intestine of diabetic rats.

Previous studies have demonstrated that cholesterol synthesis is increased twofold in the small intestine of diabetic animals. The present study demonstrates that the stimulation of small intestinal cholesterol synthesis by diabetes is a generalized phenomenon occurring in all segments of the small intestine. Quantitatively, in control animals the proximal two segments of the small intestine account for the majority of the total small intestinal cholesterol synthesis, whereas in the diabetic animals, because of the generalized stimulation in cholesterogenesis, the contribution of the terminal segments to total small intestinal cholesterol synthesis is of increased importance. The various manipulations that regulate cholesterol synthesis in the small intestine of diabetic animals also affect cholesterol synthesis in all portions of the small intestine. In diabetic animals cholesterol feeding and the limitation of food intake decrease cholesterol synthesis in the total small intestine and in all segments of the small intestine. Conversely, colestipol feeding increases cholesterol synthesis in all segments of the small intestine. These results demonstrate that, despite the obvious structural, functional, and environmental differences among the various segments of the small intestine, the stimulation of cholesterol synthesis that occurs secondary to diabetes mellitus is a generalized phenomenon. Similarly, the factors that regulate small intestinal cholesterol synthesis do so in a generalized manner.

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Altered activation state of hydroxymethylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase in liver tumors.

Extensive studies have demonstrated that the normal inhibition of cholesterol synthesis by cholesterol feeding is decreased in all hepatomas studied in vivo. This loss of the normal feedback regulation of cholesterol synthesis has been shown to be due to the failure of cholesterol ingestion to inhibit the activity of hydroxymethylglutaryl (HMG)-CoA reductase. The basis for this absence of feedback control of cholesterogenesis is unknown. Studies to date have not demonstrated structural or kinetic differences between the HMG-CoA reductase of normal liver and hepatoma. The present study, however, demonstrates significant differences in the activation state of HMG-CoA reductase from normal liver and hepatoma. In normal liver only approximately 10-20% of the microsomal HMG-CoA reductase is in the dephosphorylated, active form while 80-90% is in the phosphorylated, inactive state. In contrast, in three different Morris hepatomas in vivo, from 53 to 73% of the HMG-CoA reductase is in the active state. That the increased activation state in hepatomas is a property of tumor tissue and is not solely due to rapid growth is demonstrated by the fact that in both fetal and regenerating liver an enhanced activation state of HMG-CoA reductase is not observed. Additionally, preincubation with magnesium and ATP results in the inhibition of HMG-CoA reductase both in tumor and in liver. Presumably, this decrease in HMG-CoA reductase activity is due to the phosphorylation of the enzyme. Similarly, the preincubation of tumor and liver microsomes with phosphatase results in an increase in HMG-CoA reductase activity presumably by the dephosphorylation of the enzyme to its active form. The relationship between the altered activation state of HMG-CoA reductase in hepatomas and the reduction in the feedback regulation of this enzyme in liver tumors remains to be explored.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

Evidence for cAMP-independent inhibition of S-phase DNA synthesis by prostaglandins.

Two prostaglandins, prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) and prostaglandin B1 (PGB1), block S-phase DNA synthesis in synchronous cultured baby hamster kidney (BHK) cells. The prostaglandin inhibition of DNA synthesis does not appear to require elevated levels of cAMP. In BHK-21 cells that have been "desensitized" to prostaglandin stimulation of adenylate cyclase and, therefore, have control levels of cAMP, PGE1 retains its inhibitory effect on the incorporation of tritiated thymidine into DNA. When BHK cells are exposed to PGB1 (a prostaglandin that does not elicit a cAMP response), DNA synthesis is also blocked. In nonsynchronous cells exposed for 1 h to PGE and then incubated for 1 h with PGE removed, a rebound of DNA synthesis occurs, therefore providing evidence that a transient rise of cAMP in itself is not capable of causing a cascade of reactions that block the synthesis of DNA. In addition, the concentration of PGE required for inhibition of DNA synthesis is significantly less than that required for cAMP generation. Addition of 1 x 10(-8) M PGE to BHK cells can be shown to significantly inhibit DNA synthesis within 30 min, with half-maximal inhibition seen at 3 x 10(-7) M PGE. Cyclic AMP levels for controls were 4.9 +/- 0.2 and 4.6 +/- 0.1 for 1 x 10(-6) M PGE1. These findings suggest that the prostaglandins can act independently of cAMP at physiological concentrations; and, therefore, it is possible that prostaglandins have a physiological role in the control of cell growth during S-phase.

Alprostadil↗

De novo sterologenesis in the intact rat.

On the basis mainly of in vitro studies, the liver and, to a lesser degree, the small intestine are widely accepted as the major sites of de novo sterologenesis. Utilizing [3H]water, we have investigated de novo sterologenesis in intact rats. Greater than 80% of labeled nonsaponifiable lipids and more than 70% of the labeled cholesterol were localized to extrahepatic, extraintestinal tissues. Feeding cholesterol markedly suppressed hepatic sterologenesis but had little influence on extrahepatic sites of sterol synthesis. Similarly, partial hepatectomy, which greatly decreased sterol synthesis in the liver, also did not significantly affect the accumulation of labeled sterols in extrahepatic tissues; therefore, the transport of sterols from the liver did not account for a significant portion of labeled sterols in extrahepatic tissues. Cannulation of the thoracic duct demonstrated that transport of newly synthesized intestinal sterols to peripheral tissues also did not account for the large accumulation of labeled sterols in extrahepatic, extraintestinal tissues. The primary extrahepatic, extraintestinal sites of sterologenesis were the skin and remaining carcass. The lung, kidney, spleen, heart, ovary, brain, muscle and adipose tissue made minor contributions to de novo sterol synthesis. Therefore, tissues other than the liver and intestine, especially the skin and remaining carcass, are important sites of de novo sterologenesis in vivo.

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Localization of de novo sterologenesis in mammalian skin.

Previous studies have demonstrated that the skin is an important site of de novo sterol synthesis and that there is a sex difference in cutaneous sterologenesis with male animals synthesizing more sterols than females. The aim of the present study was to localize the major sites of sterol synthesis within the skin and to determine which of these sites accounted for the sex differences in sterologenesis. In male and female rats whose dermal and epidermal layers are separated by dithiothreitol treatment, the dermis is the major site of skin sterologenesis (males 86% of total, females 82% of total). Moreover, the sex difference in skin sterol synthesis is quantitatively localized primarily within the dermal layer (approximately 2.5-fold greater in the dermis of males). Sterol synthesis is also increased in the epidermis of males. To rule out the possibility that sebaceous gland production accounted for our observations, we treated animals with isotretinoin (13-cis-retinoic acid), a drug that suppresses sebaceous gland sebum production. Sterol synthesis in the skin of both male and female rats is not significantly altered by isotretinoin administration and the sex difference in skin sterologenesis is unaffected. To further localize the sites of sterol synthesis within the skin, studies of hairless mice whose skin was split by DTT were initiated. In hairless mice, DTT separates the epidermis into upper (stratum corneum and granulosum) and lower (basal and spinous cells) strata. The basal layer was separated from the dermis by gentle scraping. As in rats, the dermis is the chief site of sterol synthesis in the skin. In addition, the lower layer of the epidermis (basal and spinous cells) is also a very active site of sterologenesis, accounting for 20% of total skin nonsaponifiable lipid synthesis. The upper epidermis accounted for only a small portion of total skin synthesis. It is highly likely that the bulk of cutaneous sterol synthesis occurs in the pilosebaceous epithelium.

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Differences in de novo cholesterol synthesis between the intact male and female rat.

Three different isotopes were used to quantify de novo sterologenesis in intact male and female rats. All three substrates (i.e. [14C]acetate, [14C]octanoate, and [3H]water) were incorporated into nonsaponifiable lipids and cholesterol at significantly greater rates in males than in females. Even with cholesterol feeding, male animals synthesized significantly more cholesterol and nonsaponifiable lipids than females. The primary site of this sex difference in sterologenesis is extrahepatic, extraintestinal tissues (e.g. carcass). In the carcass this sex difference is chiefly due to an enhancement of sterol synthesis in the skin of male rats. Cholesterol synthesis is 73% greater and nonsaponifiable lipid synthesis is 85% greater in the skin of males than in females. Moreover, de novo sterologenesis in skin is hormonally dependent. In castrated females, testosterone treatment results in a 2-fold stimulation of skin sterol synthesis compared to that in animals administered estradiol or oil vehicle alone. In castrated males, estradiol treatment caused a 30% reduction in skin cholesterol and nonsaponifiable lipid synthesis compared to that in animals administered testosterone. The effects of sex steroid hormones on skin are, therefore, probably responsible for mediating the observed sex difference in de novo sterol synthesis. Additionally, this study demonstrates that the administration of estradiol and testosterone in physiological doses to castrated animals has no effect on cholesterol or nonsaponifiable lipid synthesis in liver, intestine, or other nondermal tissues.

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The effect of cholesterol feeding and alterations in bile acid homeostasis on de novo sterologenesis in diabetic rats.

Previous studies have demonstrated that de novo cholesterol synthesis is increased two- to threefold in the intestines of diabetic animals. This increase is due to a stimulation of cholesterogenesis in both the small and large intestine but, quantitatively, the small intestine is primarily responsible for the observed increase. The present study examined the effect of cholesterol feeding and alterations of bile acid homeostasis on de novo sterol synthesis in intact normal and diabetic animals. Cholesterol feeding in the control animals did not affect sterol synthesis in the small intestine, but in diabetic animals cholesterol feeding markedly inhibited small intestinal sterologenesis. The threefold stimulation of small intestinal sterol synthesis observed in diabetic animals is completely obliterated by cholesterol ingestion. Moreover, this inhibition of sterol synthesis by cholesterol feeding in the small intestine of diabetic animals occurred very rapidly (within 36 h). In the large intestine, cholesterol feeding did not influence sterol synthesis in either the diabetic or control animals. In the liver, cholesterol feeding markedly inhibited sterol synthesis to similar degrees in the diabetics and controls. Colestipol feeding and biliary drainage, procedures that reduce bile acid pool size, stimulated sterol synthesis in the liver and small intestine of both diabetic and control animals. However, reductions in bile acid pool size increased sterologenesis in the large intestine in control animals but had no effect in the diabetics. Bile acid ingestion did not alter either small or large intestinal sterologenesis in the diabetic or control animals. In conclusion, the present study demonstrates the sterol synthesis is enhanced in the small and large intestine of diabetic animals and, moreover, both the cholesterol- and bile acid-mediated regulation of cholesterol synthesis in the intestines of the diabetic animals is altered from normal.

Animals↗

Activation of HMG-CoA reductase by microsomal phosphatase.

HMG-CoA reductase activity can be modulated by a reversible phosphorylation-dephosphorylation with the phosphorylated form of the enzyme being inactive and the dephosphorylated form, active. Phosphatases from diverse sources, including cytosol, have been shown to dephosphorylate and activate HMG-CoA reductase. The present study demonstrates phosphatase activity capable of activating HMG-CoA reductase that is associated with purified microsomes. The incubation of microsomes at 37 degrees C for 40 min results in a twofold stimulation of HMG-CoA reductase activity, and this stimulation is blocked by sodium fluoride or phosphate. The ability of microsomes to increase HMG-CoA reductase activity occurs regardless of whether microsomes are prepared by ultracentrifugation or calcium precipitation. Additionally, phosphatases capable of activating HMG-CoA reductase are present in both the smooth and rough endoplasmic reticulum. Freeze-thawing does not prevent microsomes from activating HMG-CoA reductase but preincubation results in a significant decrease in the ability of microsomes to increase HMG-CoA reductase activity. Thus, the present study demonstrates that purified liver microsomes contain phosphatase activity capable of activating HMG-CoA reductase.

Animals↗

De novo cholesterogenesis in pregnancy.

Hypercholesterolemia occurs during pregnancy in rats and human beings, beginning in the second trimester and increasing progressively throughout the remainder of pregnancy. The present study quantified de novo cholesterol synthesis in vivo and in vitro in pregnant animals using 3H2O as the substrate for measuring cholesterogenesis. In the third trimester, cholesterol synthesis by pregnant rat gut and carcass (all tissues not specifically studied) was not significantly different from that observed in controls. However, hepatic cholesterol synthesis was markedly stimulated in third trimester pregnant rats. Additionally, cholesterol synthesis in the placenta and fetus occurred at a very substantial rate. The magnitude of placental cholesterol synthesis was similar to that observed in the liver of control animals whereas fetal cholesterogenesis was considerably greater. Cholesterol feeding greatly suppressed hepatic cholesterol synthesis in both control and pregnant animals, so that the difference between control and pregnant animals was obliterated. Cholesterol feeding did not significantly affect the accumulation of newly synthesized cholesterol in either the placenta or fetus. In the Saguines fusciollis monkey, pregnancy similarly stimulated hepatic cholesterol synthesis, and the fetus and placenta were important sites of in vivo de novo cholesterogenesis.

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