Biliary lipids, bile acids and gallstone formation in hypovitaminotic C guinea-pigs.
1. Hypovitaminotic C guinea-pigs fed on a high-cholesterol diet for 5 weeks developed gallstones (810 mg cholesterol/g) whereas no concretements were observed in vitamin C-replete animals.  2. Scanning electron microscope studies of the three types of gallstone observed in the gallbladders of vitamin C-deficient animals showed them to be composed of randomly-arranged needle-shaped or laminated crystal of cholesterol. 3. The hepatic bile of gallstone-forming animals had a higher cholesterol concentration and lower bile acid content, the latter being principally due to a reduction in the chenodeoxycholic fraction, than the bile of vitamin C-replete animals. 4. No significant difference was observed between the volume of bile secreted by hypovitaminotic C and vitamin C-replete animals, but due to the qualitative changes in bile composition, gallstone formation was associated with an increased biliary secretion of cholesterol and a reduced secretion of bile acids.
D000818:Animals; D001206:Ascorbic Acid Deficiency / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001646:Bile / Q000378:metabolism*; D001647:Bile Acids and Salts / Q000378:metabolism; D002635:Chenodeoxycholic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D002769:Cholelithiasis / Q000209:etiology*; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000378:metabolism; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D012636:Secretory Rate
D001647:Bile Acids and Salts; D002635:Chenodeoxycholic Acid; D002784:Cholesterol