An enzymatic method is described for determination of total serum cholesterol by use of a single aqueous reagent. The method requires no prior treatment of sample and the calibration curve is linear to 600 mg/dl. Cholesterol esters are hydrolyzed to free cholesterol by cholesterol ester hydrolase (EC 3.1.1.13). The free cholesterol produced is oxidized by cholesterol oxidase to cholest-4-en-3-one with the simultaneous production of hydrogen peroxide, which oxidatively couples with 4-aminoantipyrine and phenol in the presence of peroxidase to yield a chromogen with maximum absorption at 500 nm. The method is reproducible, and the results correlate well with those obtained by automated Liebermann—Burchard procedures (AA-2 and SMA 12/60) and the method of Abell et al. The present method affords better specificity than those previously reported and has excellent precision.

Enzymatic determination of total serum cholesterol.

Department of Pharmaceutics, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Sector 67, S. A. S. Nagar,Mohali, Punjab-160 062, India, Institute of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Polytechnic University, Via Ranieri 67, IT-60100 Ancona, Italy,Green Biotechnology Research Group, The Special Division for Human Life Technology, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science andTechnology, 1-8-31 Midorigaoka, Ikeda, Osaka-563-8577, Japan, and Department of Medicinal Chemistry & Natural Products,The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, School of Pharmacy-Faculty of Medicine, Jerusalem 91120, IsraelReceived March 2, 2004

Chitosan chemistry and pharmaceutical perspectives.

The VFA, also known as short-chain fatty acids, are produced in the gastrointestinal tract by microbial fermentation of carbohydrates and endogenous substrates, such as mucus. This can be of great advantage to the animal, since no digestive enzymes exist for breaking down cellulose or other complex carbohydrates. The VFA are produced in the largest amounts in herbivorous animal species and especially in the forestomach of ruminants. The VFA, however, also are produced in the lower digestive tract of humans and all animal species, and intestinal fermentation resembles that occurring in the rumen. The principal VFA in either the rumen or large intestine are acetate, propionate, and butyrate and are produced in a ratio varying from approximately 75:15:10 to 40:40:20. Absorption of VFA at their site of production is rapid, and large quantities are metabolized by the ruminal or large intestinal epithelium before reaching the portal blood. Most of the butyrate is converted to ketone bodies or CO2 by the epithelial cells, and nearly all of the remainder is removed by the liver. Propionate is similarly removed by the liver but is largely converted to glucose. Although species differences exist, acetate is used principally by peripheral tissues, especially fat and muscle. Considerable energy is obtained from VFA in herbivorous species, and far more research has been conducted on ruminants than on other species. Significant VFA, however, are now known to be produced in omnivorous species, such as pigs and humans. Current estimates are that VFA contribute approximately 70% to the caloric requirements of ruminants, such as sheep and cattle, approximately 10% for humans, and approximately 20-30% for several other omnivorous or herbivorous animals. The amount of fiber in the diet undoubtedly affects the amount of VFA produced, and thus the contribution of VFA to the energy needs of the body could become considerably greater as the dietary fiber increases. Pigs and some species of monkey most closely resemble humans, and current research should be directed toward examining the fermentation processes and VFA metabolism in those species. In addition to the energetic or nutritional contributions of VFA to the body, the VFA may indirectly influence cholesterol synthesis and even help regulate insulin or glucagon secretion. In addition, VFA production and absorption have a very significant effect on epithelial cell growth, blood flow, and the normal secretory and absorptive functions of the large intestine, cecum, and rumen. The absorption of VFA and sodium, for example, seem to be interdependent, and release of bicarbonate usually occurs during VFA absorption.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Energy contributions of volatile fatty acids from the gastrointestinal tract in various species

Cholesterol and the cell membrane.

Introduction STEROID hormones are familiar clinically and physiologically as regulators of physiological processes. Five groups of steroid hormones are generally recognized according to their physiological behavior: mineralocorticoids, which instruct the renal tubules to retain sodium; glucocorticoids, which are named for their carbohydratemobilizing properties but have many other effects as well; estrogens, which induce female secondary sexual characteristics; progestins, which are essential for reproduction; and androgens, which induce male secondary sexual characteristics. These classes of steroid hormones are structurally similar and arise from a common series of pathways. They are distinguished by their actions on one or more specific steroid hormone receptors. The hormone/receptor complexes function as tissue-specific transcriptional regulators of distinct domains of genes and, consequently, exert their broad array of physiological effects. (For reviews, see Refs. 1 and 2.) The pathways by which the...

Molecular Biology of Steroid Hormone Synthesis

Inhibition of cholesterol absorption in rats by plant sterols.

Sterol carrier protein2. Delivery of cholesterol from adrenal lipid droplets to mitochondria for pregnenolone synthesis.

Mixed micelles were prepared containing combinations of either taurocholate or taurochenodeoxycholate, monoolein, oleic acid, dioleylphosphatidylcholine (lecithin) and cholesterol. These were incubated with commercial bile-acid-sequestering resins, cholestyramine and DEAE-Sephadex, or various dietary fibers and fiber components including wheat bran, cellulose, alfalfa, lignin and 2 viscosity grades of guar gum. Binding was determined as the difference between the radioactivity of each micellar component added and that recovered in the centrifugal supernatant after incubation. In general, the extent of bile salt sequestration was characteristic and reproducible for each bile salt, and was largely unaffected by the presence of one or more additional components of the micellar mixture, including the other bile salt. Cholestyramine bound 81-92% of the bile salts and 86-99% of the phospholipid and cholesterol present in micelles. DEAE-Sephadex sequestered only 49% of the taurocholate and 84% of the taurochenodeoxycholate, but completely removed all of the phospholipid and cholesterol from micelles containing either bile salt. Among the dietary fibers, guar gum of either viscosity bound between 20-38% of each micellar component, whereas lignin, alfalfa, wheat bran and cellulose were progressively less effective in sequestration of individual components of mixed micelles. The extent of sequestration of micellar components by these resins and fibers is reasonably correlated with the effects of these same materials on lymphatic absorption of lipids and to their suggested hypocholesteremic properties.

George V. Vahouny

Papers

Inhibition of cholesterol absorption in rats by plant sterols.

Sterol carrier protein2. Delivery of cholesterol from adrenal lipid droplets to mitochondria for pregnenolone synthesis.

Dietary fibers: V. Binding of bile salts, phospholipids and cholesterol from mixed micelles by bile acid sequestrants and dietary fibers.

Sterol carrier protein2. Identification of adrenal sterol carrier protein2 and site of action for mitochondrial cholesterol utilization.

Dietary Fiber : Basic and Clinical Aspects