Hyperlipoproteinemia induced by a transplantable pituitary tumor in the rat

The MtT-F4 tumor, a transplantable pituitary tumor of rats, induces significant hyperlipidemia in male Fisher 344 rats. The increasive hypercholesterolemia was accompanied by hypertriglyceridemia only in the first month of tumor implantation. Clofibrate feeding inhibited the development of hypercholesterolemia and maintained normal serum triglyceride levels. In contrast to the changes in lipoprotein cholesterol distribution and profile found in experimental hyperlipidemia induced by high fat and cholesterol feeding, the hypercholesterolemic tumor-bearing rats showed no accumulation of cholesterol in the very low density and intermediate density lipoproteins, and no appearance of a new class of lipoprotein, B-VLDL. An HDLc-like lipoprotein appeared as hypercholesterolemia developed. Increased amounts of cholesterol were deposited in the aorta. The effects are attributed to the lipolytic hormones secreted by the tumor and antagonism to their action by clofibrate.