Cholesterol metabolism in regenerating liver of the rat

The regenerating rat liver was used as a model to investigate the necessity for new cholesterol synthesis prior to the onset of cell division. Plasma cholesterol levels in partially hepatectomized rats were significantly decreased 24 and 48 h after surgery compared with levels in sham-operated animals. Hepatic cholesteryl ester content was also significantly increased in livers from partially hepatectomized animals, but the hepatic content of unesterified cholesterol was not affected. Hepatic triglyceride content was significantly increased within 6 h after surgery in the regenerating liver. The triglyceride levels reached a peak at 24 h, and by 72 h they had decreased back to levels that were no different from control. In the regenerating liver, microsomal 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl CoA (HMG-CoA) reductase activity was increased 12 h after surgery. The activity of this enzyme remained significantly elevated throughout the 72-h period after surgery. In contrast, 12 h after partial hepatectomy the rate of hepatic cholesterol synthesis was significantly lower than that observed in livers from sham-operated rats. An increase in the rate of cholesterol synthesis was not observed until 48 h after partial hepatectomy, some 32 h after the start of DNA synthesis. Microsomal acyl-CoA:cholesterol acyltransferase activity was unchanged except for a 28% decrease at 72 h after partial hepatectomy. The data suggest that new cholesterol synthesis is not a requirement prior to the initiation of DNA synthesis in the regenerating rat liver.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)