The interaction of various control mechanisms in determining the rate of hepatic cholesterogenesis in the rat

In these studies rats were subjected to diurnal light-cycling, stress, fasting and the feeding of cholestyramine, β-sitosterol and cholesterol in various combinations. In control animals exposed to light cycling for 2 weeks the rate of hepatic cholesterogenesis was 3.7 fold higher in the mid-dark than in the midlight phase of the light cycle. The magnitude of this difference varied with the duration of light cycling and the size of the animals. Similarly, enhanced rates of cholesterol synthesis were seen in the mid-dark phase relative to the mid-light phase of the light cycle in rats where the base-line level of hepatic cholesterogenesis was increased by feeding cholestyramine (1.6-fold) or β-sitosterol (2.9-fold) or was depressed by fasting (19-fold) or cholesterol feeding (2.1-fold). Restraining animals for 48 h also increased the rate of cholesterol synthesis in the liver: in control animals, this stress enhanced the level of cholesterogenesis seen at both the mid-light and mid-dark phases of the light cycle. In addition, both the effects of stress and of diurnal light cycling could be identified in groups of animals where base-line cholesterogenic activity was varied by fasting or by feeding cholestyramine, β-sitosterol or cholesterol. These studies illustrate the complexity of the control of hepatic cholesterol synthesis and suggest that the final rate of cholesterogenesis may be the result of several different effectors modifying by different mechanisms the activity of β-hydroxy-β-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase.