Turnover of xanthoma cholesterol in hyperlipoproteinemia patients

The turnover of xanthoma cholesterol was measured in 9 hyperlipidemic and one normocholesterolemic patients. Sequential biopsies of the xanthomas were obtained 13 to 364 days after the administration of isotopic cholesterol and were then analyzed for cholesterol specific activity. A total of 34 xanthomas of 3 different types - 10 tendon xanthomas, 3 tuberous xanthomas, and 21 xanthelasmas - comprised the material for analysis. The cholesterol specific activity ratio of tendron xanthomas to that of the plasma varied from 11 per cent at 21 days to a maximum of 543 per cent at 122 days after the intravenous administration of isotopic cholesterol. This ratio declined to 426 per cent at 182 days and was still 131 per cent at 364 days. Similarly, the cholesterol specific activity of xanthelasmas increased gradually. In most instances, the xanthelasma cholesterol attained isotopic equilibration with plasma cholesterol by about 50 days but varied from patient to patient (minimum time, 46 days and maximum time, 91 days). The cholesterol content of xanthomas ranged from 10.7 to 197.0 mg per gram of dry weight of the tissue. Sixty-one to 87 per cent of the total xanthoma cholesterol was esterified. No other sterols were identified in these xanthomas. Thus, the cholesterol of 3 types of xanthoma readily attained isotopic equilibration with the plasma cholesterol which suggested total exchangeability of cholesterol between plasma and xanthomas. The uptake of cholesterol by the xanthomas from plasma was rapid considering the large mass of cholesterol in the lesions. The turnover of xanthoma cholesterol was intermediate between that of the rapidly exchangeable pool and of the slowly exchangeable pool of body cholesterol. Comparison of these results with those obtained in human advanced atheroma suggest that the turnover of xanthoma cholesterol and atheroma cholesterol are quite different.