title: Regulation of bile acid synthesis. IV. Interrelationship between cholesterol and bile acid biosynthesis pathways.
abstract: Under most experimental conditions, the activities of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA reductase) and cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase, change together in parallel directions. It has been suggested that newly synthesized cholesterol may be the preferred substrate for cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase, which may account for the observed synchronous behavior of the two enzymes. To test this hypothesis, mevinolinic acid, a potent competitive inhibitor of HMG-CoA reductase, was administered as a single intravenous bolus (10 mg/kg) to rats with a chronic bile fistula. Bile acid synthesis was determined following inhibition of HMG-CoA reductase by mevinolinic acid over a 27-h time course and specific activities of HMG-CoA reductase and cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase were determined in liver microsomes. At 3, 6, and 27 h after a bolus dose of mevinolinic acid, bile acid synthesis was reduced by 54 +/- 5%, 42 +/- 8%, and 23 +/- 13%, respectively, from preinfusion baseline. Within 30 min after administration of mevinolinic acid, HMG-CoA reductase activity was inhibited by at least 87%. At 0.5, 1.5, 3, 6, and 27 h after mevinolinic acid injection, cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase activity was decreased by 6%, 25%, 54%, 41%, and 17%, respectively. By 27 h, the activities of both enzymes had returned to baseline levels. The reduction of bile acid synthesis correlated closely with the observed changes in the activities of cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase. In vitro addition of mevinolinic acid (up to 20 microM) to rat liver microsomes failed to inhibit cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase activity, suggesting no direct effect of mevinolinic acid on enzyme activity. When a bolus dose of mevinolinic acid was coupled with a continuous infusion of mevalonate, the product of the reaction catalyzed by HMG-CoA reductase, the mevinolinic acid-induced decrease in cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase activity and bile acid synthesis was prevented. The results of this study provide evidence that, under the experimental conditions described, there is a linkage between the rates of cholesterol synthesis and the activities of cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase. The data also emphasize the importance of the newly synthesized cholesterol in the regulation of cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase activity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Medical College of Virginia, Richmond 23298.
authors.forename: W M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Pandak
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Heuman
authors.forename: P B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Hylemon
authors.forename: Z R
authors.initials: ZR
authors.lastname: Vlahcevic
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001647:Bile Acids and Salts / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D002790:Cholesterol 7-alpha-Hydroxylase / Q000378:metabolism; D006903:Hydroxymethylglutaryl CoA Reductases / Q000378:metabolism; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors; D008148:Lovastatin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D008798:Mevalonic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D008862:Microsomes, Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains
chemical_list: D001647:Bile Acids and Salts; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors; C015367:mevalonolactone; C040295:mevinolinic acid; D002784:Cholesterol; D008148:Lovastatin; D006903:Hydroxymethylglutaryl CoA Reductases; D002790:Cholesterol 7-alpha-Hydroxylase; D008798:Mevalonic Acid