Influence of thyroid hormone status on mevalonate metabolism in rats

Mevalonate, an essential intermediate in cholesterol synthesis, is metabolized either to cholesterol or, by the shunt pathway, to CO2. Previous investigations have demonstrated that the kidneys are the chief site of circulating mevalonate metabolism and that sex hormones as well as insulin markedly influence circulating mevalonate metabolism. The present study examined in rats the influence of thyroid hormone status on mevalonate metabolism in vivo and in vitro. L-thyroxine administration increased renal conversion of circulating mevalonate to cholesterol, 41% in the females and 22% in the males. Conversely, hypothyroidism induced by 6 N propyl-2-thiouracil reduced renal conversion of circulatng mevalonate to cholesterol by 45% in females and 27% in males; thyroid hormone replacement in these animals returned cholesterogenesis in the kidneys to supranormal levels. Neither L-thyroxine nor hypothyroidism altered circulating mevalonate conversion to cholesterol in the liver or carcass. In vitro studies confirmed the in vivo observations. Changes in thyroid hormone produced only minor changes in the shunt pathway of mevalonate metabolism. This study demonstrates that the major effect of the thyroid hormone on the metabolism of circulating mevalonate is to alter the conversion of mevalonate to cholesterol, an effect localized solely to the kidneys.