In vivo influx, tissue esterification and hydrolysis of free and esterified plasma cholesterol in the cholesterol-fed rabbit.

The influx of free and esterified cholesterol into various tissues of cholesterol-fed rabbits is calculated from the tissue [3H] cholesterol and [14C] cholesterol content - corrected for radioactivity in contaminating plasma - after a 3--6 h exposure to in vivo-labeled plasma. The plasma free cholesterol was labeled primarily with 3H and the esterified cholesterol with 14C or vice versa. The influx calculation is based on total 3H and 14C in tissues and two linear equations that take into account esterification and hydrolysis of sterol fractions by the tissues. The influx of esterified cholesterol into tissue samples from aorta, heart, small intestine and lung was 10--80 nmol-g--1-h--1, whereas the influx into adrenal, spleen and liver was from 400--2500 nmol--g-1--h-1. The influx of free cholesterol was considerably higher than expected if free and esterified cholesterol had entered the tissues together as part of plasma lipoproteins. This excess of free cholesterol influx can be ascribed to cholesterol exchange between plasma lipoproteins and tissues, which in several tissues amounted to more than 80% of the total free cholesterol influx. From tissue free and esterified cholesterol radioactivity, one can calculate that 20--70% of the newly entered esterified cholesterol was hydrolyzed by various tissues and that most tissues esterified less than 10% of newly entered cholesterol during the experimental period. However, esterification of plasma cholesterol by adrenals averaged 50% of that taken up during a 3-6 h period.