Quantitation of excretion of dolichol and dolichyl phosphate from the rat

In order to gain information on the metabolism of dolichol, the rates of excretion of dolichol and dolichyl phosphate were determined in rats maintained on a dolichol-free diet for 10 days. Analysis of fecal samples collected every 48 h yielded mean output values of 9.0 +/- 1.4 and 20.7 +/- 3.0 micrograms/rat/day of dolichol and dolichyl phosphate, respectively. Urinary output rates were 0.56 +/- 0.12 and 0.50 +/- 0.28 microgram/rat/day of dolichol and dolichyl phosphate, respectively. Thus, excretion is one fate of endogenously synthesized dolichol compounds in the rat.