Influence of Cholesterol Feeding on Bile Acid Metabolism in Young and Aged Germ-Free Rats

[摘要] References(22)Cited-By(14)The effects of cholesterol feeding on serum and liver cholesterol levels, fecal and biliary bile acid levels, bile acid pool size and bile acid composition were examined in 2-, 12- and 24-month-old male germ-free rats. The major bile acids in these animals were cholic and β-muricholic acids. Cholesterol feeding increased synthesis of bile acids by 3- to 4-fold, especially that of chenodeoxycholic acid (mainly β-muricholic acid in the rat), decreasing the cholic acid/chenodeoxycholic acid (CA/CDCA) ratio in all rats regardless of age, even though the CA/CDCA ratio increased as a linear function of age in both diet groups. Cholesterol feeding increased the serum cholesterol level markedly in aged rats. This hypercholesterolemia may be produced by the increase in CA/CDCA ratio in aged rats.

[学科分类] 药理学

[关键词] Dietary cholesterol;Bile acid metabolism;Cholic acid/chenodeoxycholic acid ratio;Germ-free rat;Aging