title: Effect of hypercholesterolemia on cholinephosphotransferase activity in rabbit and rat vessel walls.
abstract: The activity of cholinephosphotransferase (EC 2.7.8.2, CPT) which catalyses de novo synthesis of phosphatidylcholine (PC) was studied in aortas of rabbits and rats, and in brain microvessels of rabbits with a cholesterol feeding-induced hypercholesterolemia. Cholesterol feeding produced a marked atheromatous change in rabbit aortas but not in rat aortas. The aortas of cholesterol-fed rabbits displayed a significantly higher CPT activity than the controls. On the other hand, the aortic CPT activity of cholesterol-fed rats was not different from that of control rats. The brain microvessels of cholesterol-fed rabbits having atheromatous aortic lesions did not show any lipid deposition, and CPT activity was similar to that of control rabbits. A tocopherol-deficient, high-cholesterol diet produced microscopical lipid deposits in rat aortas, and CPT activity of these aortas was significantly higher than that of aortas of rats on tocopherol-supplemented diets containing either a normal or high amount of cholesterol. The increase in CPT activity in atheromatous lesion might be closely related to lipid deposition in vessel walls and may be a cause of the increase in PC content in these lesions. Further studies are required to clarify the mechanism of activation of CPT activity in atheromatous conditions.
authors.affiliation: Internal Medicine, Kawatetsu Chiba Hospital, Japan.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sasaki
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Saito
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yosida
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001011:Aorta / Q000201:enzymology; D002536:Cerebral Arteries / Q000201:enzymology; D002550:Cerebral Veins / Q000201:enzymology; D002798:Diacylglycerol Cholinephosphotransferase / Q000378:metabolism*; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000201:enzymology*; D008297:Male; D008833:Microcirculation; D010770:Phosphotransferases / Q000378:metabolism*; D011817:Rabbits; D051381:Rats; D011921:Rats, Inbred WKY
chemical_list: D010770:Phosphotransferases; D002798:Diacylglycerol Cholinephosphotransferase