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Updated: Jul 12, 2026

Macrophage Cholesterol Depletion and Its Effect on the Phagocytosis of Cryptococcus neoformans
Published on: December 19, 2014
Cholesterol accumulation is increased in macrophages of phospholipid transfer protein-deficient mice: normalization
Nicolas Ogier1, Alexis Klein, Valérie Deckert
1INSERM U866, Centre de Recherche, IFR Santé-STIC, Faculté de Médecine, Université de Bourgogne, Dijon, France.
Objective:
Phospholipid transfer protein (PLTP) is a multifunctional, extracellular lipid transport protein that plays a major role in lipoprotein metabolism and atherosclerosis. Recent in vivo studies suggested that unlike systemic PLTP, macrophage-derived PLTP would be antiatherogenic. The present study aimed at characterizing the atheroprotective properties of macrophage-derived PLTP.
Methods And Results:
Peritoneal macrophages were isolated from PLTP-deficient and wild-type mice and their biochemical characteristics were compared. It is shown that macrophages isolated from PLTP-deficient mice have increased basal cholesterol content and accumulate more cholesterol in the presence of LDL compared with wild-type cells. Cholesterol parameters in macrophages of PLTP-deficient mice were normalized by dietary alpha-tocopherol supplementation.
Conclusions:
The antiatherogenic properties of macrophage-derived PLTP are related at least in part to its ability to reduce cholesterol accumulation in macrophages through changes in the alpha-tocopherol content and oxidative status of the cells.
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