Absorption of cholesterol by the gallbladder.

To study whether cholesterol is absorbed by the gallbladder, we instilled from 1 to 300 nmoles of [4-14C]cholesterol dissolved in 1 ml of guinea pig bile into the in situ guinea pig gallbladder. The bile used in these experiments contained 7 mumole/ml bile acid, 27 nmole/ml lecithin, and 8 nmol/ml cholesterol. To this bile, we added the radioactive cholesterol, from 0 to 1 mumole/ml egg lecithin, and 100 mug/ml of bromosulfophthalein, a nonabsorbable marker. After 1 nmole [4-14C]cholesterol was instilled in bile without added lecithin, 77 +/- 8% of the radioactivity was demonstrated to be in the gallbladder wall 6 hours later. The proportion of cholesterol absorbed by the gallbladder decreased as the concentration of added lecithin or bile salts was increased. Radioautography showed radioactivity in the mucosa, and subcellular fractionation of homogenized cells by centrifugation showed cholesterol in the mitochondrial (23 +/- 4%) and microsomal (18 +/- 4%) fractions. Studies on specific activity suggested that there was net absorption of cholesterol and not merely an exchange of cholesterol in the contents for cholesterol in the wall. This study presents evidence that significant quantities of cholesterol but not cholesterol ester can be absorbed by the guinea pig gallbladder. We also found that the absorbed cholesterol can be converted to cholesterol ester and the relevance of these findings to cholesterosis in man are discussed.