Regulation of cholesterol synthesis in isolated epithelial cells of human small intestine.

We have investigated the regulation of cholesterol synthesis in isolated human small intestine epithelial cells (enterocytes). It was established that the amount of cholesterol synthesized increased linearly with the incubation time and the number of cells in the incubation mixture; the synthesis was suppressed by 7-ketocholesterol. Cholic, dehydrocholic, chenodeoxycholic, glycocholic, taurocholic, taurochenodeoxycholic and taurodeoxycholic acids inhibited cholesterol synthesis in enterocytes to different degrees in a dose-dependent manner. Lithocholic acid enhanced the rate of cholesterol synthesis. Deoxycholic acid, methyl ester of cholic acid and cholesterol did not affect the process. No bile acids tested, with the exception of taurodeoxycholic acid, affected fatty acid synthesis in enterocytes. Most bile acids also decreased cholesterol synthesis in cultured human skin fibroblasts. The results obtained make it possible to postulate that cholesterol synthesis in human enterocytes may be subject to a complex regulation by bile acids.