In vivo clearance of low-density lipoproteins and beta-very-low-density lipoproteins in normal and hypercholesterolemic White Carneau pigeons.

Low-density lipoproteins (hLDL) and beta-migrating-very-low-density lipoproteins (beta-VLDL) were isolated from the plasma of cholesterol-fed White Carneau (WC) pigeons and low-density lipoproteins (nLDL) were isolated from the plasma of grain-fed WC pigeons. The lipoproteins were radiolabeled with 125I or 131I and injected into normocholesterolemic or hypercholesterolemic WC pigeons to determine their rate of clearance from the plasma. The fractional catabolic rate (FCR) of nLDL and hLDL in normocholesterolemic pigeons averaged 0.202 and 0.206 pools/h.respectively. beta-VLDL was cleared at a significantly slower rate of 0.155 pools/h. The FCR of the same lipoproteins injected into hypercholesterolemic pigeons was reduced by 17% for nLDL, 50% for hLDL and 57% for beta-VLDL, indicating that the effect of hypercholesterolemia on clearance in vivo was different for the three lipoproteins. The FCR of reductively methylated pigeon LDL (MeLDL), which gives a measure of receptor-independent clearance of LDL, was shown previously to be 0.037 pools/h. These studies suggest therefore that LDL and beta-VLDL are cleared from the plasma of normocholesterolemic and hypercholesterolemic pigeons at a rate substantially greater than that predicted for non-specific processes. Despite the reduction in the clearance rate of hLDL and beta-VLDL due to cholesterol feeding, the absolute amount of cholesterol that was cleared from the plasma by these lipoproteins was increased from approx. 200 mg/kg body weight per day in the normocholesterolemic pigeons to greater than 1000 mg/kg body weight per day in the hypercholesterolemic pigeons. This is due principally to the enrichment in cholesterol relative to protein of the lipoproteins isolated from cholesterol-fed pigeons and the failure of hypercholesterolemia to completely inhibit receptor-dependent clearance of LDL and beta-VLDL. The lower rate of clearance of beta-VLDL relative to LDL is in marked contrast to mammalian beta-VLDL, which is cleared much faster than LDL, but is consistent with the lack of apo E on pigeon lipoproteins. Apo E is the apoprotein that is thought to be responsible for the rapid clearance of beta-VLDL in normocholesterolemic mammals. The low rate of beta-VLDL clearance in pigeons also suggests that pigeons lack an apolipoprotein that function like mammalian apo E.