Absence of cholesterogenesis regulation in the liver and prostate of the BIO 87.20 hamster.

Normal, adult golden Syrian hamsters and the inbred stain BIO 87.20 Syrian hamsters were maintained on either control, cholesterol, candicidin or clofibrate diets for time periods of up to 4 months. The ventral prostate gland in both species was found to synthesize cholesterol at a greater rate than the liver. Also, our results show that, while hepatic cholesterol synthesis in the normal Syrian hamster is under feedback control with dietary cholesterol, hepatic cholesterol synthesis in the BIO 87.20 hamster, and prostatic cholesterol synthesis in either species, is under no such control. This apparent regulatory defect in the BIO 87.20 hamster, which results in a dramatic accumulation of cholesterol in the liver and serum, renders this animal a potentially valuable in vivo model for the study of cholesterol-related disorders.