Effect of dietary cholesterol on biliary cholesterol content and bile flow in the hypothyroid rat

The hypothyroid rat model was used to investigate the effect of dietary-induced hypercholesterolemia on biliary cholesterol content and bile flow. Rats were divided into four dietary groups--diet A: Rat Chow; diet B: Rat Chow plus 0.1% propylthiouracil; diet C: Rat Chow plus 0.1% propylthiouracil, 0.3% taurocholate, 5% lard; diet D: Rat Chow plus 0.1% propylthiouracil, 0.3% taurocholate, 5% lard, and 1% cholesterol. After 6 wk, bile was collected and livers were excised for the preparation of membranes. In cholesterol-fed animals, biliary cholesterol content was increased. However, because of a significant decrease in the rate of bile flow that occurred in these animals, biliary cholesterol output was unchanged from the cholesterol output observed in control animals. Dietary cholesterol also caused a threefold increase in liver membrane cholesterol content and a 64% decrease in the activity of sodium-potassium-stimulated adenosine triphosphatase (Na+,K+-ATPase). In a separate group of animals, microsomes prepared from livers of control rats were incubated with phosphatidylserine liposomes, liposomes containing cholesterol, or buffer. The activity of Na+,K+-ATPase was increased in microsomes incubated with phosphatidylserine liposomes. However, when the cholesterol content of the microsomes was increased twofold by incubating the membranes with liposomes containing cholesterol, the stimulation of Na+,K+-ATPase activity was significantly decreased. The data suggest that in the cholesterol-fed hypothyroid rat, biliary cholesterol content is significantly increased; however, because of a decrease in the rate of bile flow, biliary cholesterol output is not changed. The decrease in bile flow is associated with an accumulation of cholesterol and a decrease in the activity of Na+,K+-ATPase in hepatic membranes.