AJP - Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology, Vol 253, Issue 3 336-G344, Copyright © 1987 by American Physiological Society
Localization of cholesterol synthesis along villus-crypt axis in diabetic rats
K. R. Feingold and A. H. Moser
In diabetic animals cholesterol synthesis is increased in the small
intestine, and this increase occurs in all segments along the
duodenal-ileal axis. In the present study we have determined the sites
along the villus-crypt axis in which cholesterol synthesis is increased. In
diabetic animals cholesterol synthesis is increased in the proximal small
intestine, and this is chiefly due to an increased synthesis in the crypt
cells. In the midintestine cholesterol synthesis is increased in all cell
fractions, but again the crypt cells are the major site accounting for the
increase. In the distal small intestine synthesis is increased in all cell
fractions, but the increase is greatest in the upper villus cells. Thus the
basis for the increase in intestinal cholesterol synthesis in diabetic
animals is dependent on location. Additionally, in the proximal small
intestine the increase in synthesis is due to an increased mass of cells,
whereas in the distal small intestine the increase is due to an increased
synthesis per unit of tissue. In cholesterol-fed diabetic animals we
observed a decrease in cholesterol synthesis in the proximal and
midintestine that was due to a decrease in synthesis in all cell fractions.
This decrease in synthesis is accounted for by a decrease in synthesis per
unit of tissue. Restricting food intake in the diabetic animals decreased
cholesterol synthesis in all cell layers, and this decrease is due to a
decrease in cell mass.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
