Properties and metabolic fate of two very low density lipoprotein subfractions from rhesus monkey serum

Physical, chemical and physiological approaches were used to examine the properties of two very low density lipoproteins, VLDL-I (slow-beta), and VLDL-II (pre-beta), which were isolated by agarose column chromatography from the serum of rhesus monkeys fed either Purina Chow or one of four hyperlipidemic diets containing 0.5-20% cholesterol suspended in either coconut oil, peanut oil, mixed coconut oil and butter fat or lard. In the coconut oil-fed hyperlipidemic animals, the majority of the apolar lipids of VLDL-I was represented by cholesteryl esters. The small percentage of triacylglycerol (15%) had a fatty acid composition which resembled that of the fatty acid in each of the diets. In turn, VLDL-II had a triacylglycerol-rich core and differed from VLDL-I in apolipoprotein distribution (VLDL-I: low molecular weight apolipoprotein B, 36%; apolipoprotein E, 64%; and VLDL-II: high molecular weight apolipoprotein B, 38%; apolipoprotein E, 3%; and apolipoprotein C, 65%). Both VLDLs were hydrolyzed in vitro by milk lipoprotein lipase by first-order kinetics although VLDL-I exhibited a slightly slower reaction rate. When an oral dose of [3H]retinol was given to one of the animals, both VLDLs became labeled but the specific activity of VLDL-I was six times higher than that of VLDL-II and the other lipoproteins. We conclude that VLDL-I represents a cholesteryl ester-rich lipoprotein probably of intestinal origin, whereas VLDL-II may be a particle of hepatic derivation modified by its interaction with the other plasma lipoproteins.